Darkness Rising
by Destro
Summary: My first fanfic. Hoping for it to be long and good.
1. Prolouge

Sonic and Company are copyright to sega, I think.  
  
Slasher and Serena are copyright to Netraptor.  
  
Any new characters are copyright to me, Destro. Use them at will as long as the don't die or stray far from their original use. (IE making one go berserk and kill all their friends)  
  
Darkness Rising  
  
  
  
Prologue  
  
The storm had finally arrived. Most of the personnel and robots were on either off-line or asleep deep inside the base. The satellites and transmitters, which where usually above ground and active, where now safely tucked away underground.  
  
At the heart of the base was the control center. Had the base been a military base, it would have been called a command center. However, this was a research base. The only protection it had was the small garrison of defense robots and a few simple turrets.  
  
In the control center sat a group of three human engineers. The trio sat casually staring at readouts and displays. They expected no surprises and were getting tired. The next shift was due in less than twenty minutes.  
  
One engineer, the youngest of the three, leaned back in his chair and yawned loudly." I hope the next shift arrives soon. I'm afraid I might fall asleep on the floor."  
  
"Don't worry," the second engineer said," We'll be sure to peel you off the floor before the cleaning bots arrive. Unless you actually WANT to take a bath today."  
  
All three chuckled at the joke. The last engineer was about to say something when the lights suddenly fizzled out.  
  
"Damn. Probably the storm." The second engineer said staring into the blackness. "Backups should come online any moment."  
  
Four seconds later they felt the vibrations from the backup generators start up. Another two and the lights came back on. Noticeably dimmer however.  
  
The third engineer wheeled closer to his console and keyed a few commands on the keyboard in front of him. "I don't think that little power outage affected anything too bad." He stopped typing and stared at the display in front of him for a second before he resumed typing.  
  
"Ok. All systems green. Minor fluctuation in the containment field of holding cell 3-B." He drummed his fingers for a moment before turning to his colleagues." I don't think its anything to worry about. It's well within limits."  
  
With that the three resumed the previous activity and waited for their shift to end. They had no idea the damage those few seconds would lead to.  
  
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Even deeper inside the base lie the holding cells. The cells were no ordinary cells however. Each one was basically a large tank, filled with chemicals, wires, and a creature. The casing was made of a strong glasslike plastic. The casings were charged with a containment field to strengthen the cell and keep bad things outside of the cell. Or in some cases, bad things inside. Most creatures the cells held were small, underdeveloped, and used for anything from simple tests to advanced medical treatment.  
  
However, two of the creatures differed from the rest. The first, in cell 3-B, was large and bulky, taking up nearly the entire tank. Hundreds of creatures had been killed, mutated, or worse before the scientists and engineers finally succeeded with this one.  
  
The second creature, across the room in cell 3-A was much smaller, much younger, but just as powerful. Or so the scientists thought. Its potential was nearly unlimited many of them had stated in their reports. Only one thick cable connected to the creature. Robotic arms, both small and large, fluttered over the figure. Its furry arms were across its chest, its body and legs stretched out by the machinery.  
  
Above the cell, a large green light suddenly flicked on. Instantly, as if frozen in time, the arms stopped. After a few seconds, the withdrew slowly to their respective places on the edge of the cell. With that the room was still once more. Or so it seemed.  
  
In cell 3-B however, the large black creature suddenly stirred. One large red eye opened and looked out. It glanced outside at the other cells and then inside over the perimeter of its own cell. A single thought took over from there.  
  
Without warning, the creature struck. One second he was inside -- the next second the containment field breached, followed instantly by the cell. Sparks flew and cables snapped as the creature broke through the large hole it had created. Chemicals poured out onto the floor from the broken tank. The large puddle quickly ignited from the sparks flying about.  
  
The creature pushed itself halfway through the hole, right above the flames. A horrifying screamed pierced the base as the blue flames licked its hide. The dark shape pushed itself through the hole and onto the floor. Right into the burning liquid. It screamed and thrashed out, hitting the tank next to it in its struggle to get out of the burning puddle. With a crash, the tank shattered, spilling its contents onto the floor.  
  
The new liquid immediately caught fire and spread. The puddle reached a new tank, immediately beginning to heat it up with its blazing inferno.  
  
Meanwhile, the creature had escaped the flames, only to realize it was covered with burning liquid. It screamed again and bolted straight through door and into the base.  
  
The creature on the other side of the room had a much different experience. As the cells across the room began to heat under the temperature, one suddenly exploded, sending glass, metal, and other debris flying throughout the room. The creatures cell was hit with one of the larger pieces of the debris. The outside of the cell shattered under the impact. The entire portion facing the rest of the room fell to the ground in small chunks. Inside, the debris had nearly hit the creature. Its path took it within three inches of the creatures head.  
  
The figure inside the cell fell suddenly as the chemicals drained quickly from the cripple tank. Fragile cables and wires snapped as it fell, severing it from the rest of the base computer system. As the creature hit the ground it yelled out. The yell was barely audible above the roaring inferno of the room.  
  
It looked quickly around and saw only blurry lights and dark spots. Not knowing what else to do, it reached out towards the bright spot in the front of its vision. It yelped and pulled its hand back reflexively as the fur was turned to burning ash. Suddenly very afraid and injured, the small form staggered to its feet and turned to the door, as it was the darkest spot in its vision. Remembering that the brightness had hurt it, it fled towards the darkness before it and into the rest of the base. Behind in the room, the fire had reached the largest cell of them all. This tank contained a highly volatile mixture that ignited at a rather low temperature. Five seconds later the cell, its room, and everything around the room was reduced to nothing.  
  
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Deep in the heart of the Floating Island lie the master emerald. Barely ten minutes after both creatures had escaped, a young Knuckles had appeared in Hidden Palace through the teleporter. With tears in the ten year old echidnas eyes and a pain in his side from running, Knuckles rushed to the master emerald. He stood in horror as it dimmed and lost most of its color.  
  
The young Echidna immediately pulled out his miniature master emerald and concentrated. He felt the island shutter and had the sensation of falling. Concentrating harder, Knuckles muttered something in an ancient language, known to almost no one else in the world. He kneeled to the ground and placed the miniature on the marble floor. Knuckles muttered another phrase and slammed his hand down beside the gem. Underneath him the island shuttered once more, slowed its decent, and gently settled on the ocean a few minutes later.  
  
Knuckles breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at the master emerald. Its soft green glow had returned and he could feel the power it emitted return to normal. Those few minutes he spent in Hidden Palace would remain in the back of his mind for many years to come.  
  
The red echidna slowly walked back to the teleporter and returned outside to check on his island.  
  
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END PROLOGUE 


	2. Chapter 1-And so it Begins...

Sonic, tails, and all other characters belong to sega. I think.  
  
Serena and slasher belong to Netraptor.  
  
Both new creatures belong to me, Destro.  
  
Please ask before using them.  
  
  
  
Darkness Rising  
  
Chapter 1:  
  
And so it begins.  
  
The air was crisp and fresh in Knothole. It was Christmas eve and winter storm had just blown over, leaving the ground blanketed with white and the tree limbs heavy with the weight of frozen water.  
  
Nothing moved in the light of early morning. Each hut looked identical, except for which side the snow was piled highest on. Then, on the edge of town, a door creaked open. The figure at the door opened it wider and peered out. Satisfied that nothing was wrong, she walked out.  
  
She looked around again and reached down to pick up snow. A sharp CRACK sounded in the air as a tree limb broke. The figure, suddenly aware of what had happened, tried to run. Before she got two steps, a mound of snow had fallen. She was unfortunate to be directly under it when it hit the ground.  
  
From another hut close by, another, smaller figure, opened the door. He stifled a laugh before yelling, "Hey Slash, you okay?"  
  
"Just peachy Sonic." She yelled back. "Now come over here and help me out."  
  
The dark blue hedgehog disappeared for a moment before reappearing with a pair of snowshoes in his hands. Sonic sat down on his doorstep and lazily donned his snowshoes.  
  
"Hey! I'm waiting!" Slasher called out, still under the snow.  
  
"I'll be there in two seconds!" Sonic called back.  
  
From across the small village a door opened and closed. A young, slightly high pitched voice called, "I'll help you Slash. You don't have to wait on that SLOWPOKE to help."  
  
Sonic, finishing up, quickly shouted back, "Hey! I heard that Tails. If I'm so slow, then why am I already there helping."  
  
"But your not even-" Tails began.  
  
In a blur Sonic appeared at Slashers side with a shovel. He quickly proceeded to dig her out while Tails hurried to help.  
  
After a few seconds the big velociraptor pushed herself to her feet and shook. Snow flew in all directions, consequently covering both of her little helpers with powdery white dust.  
  
Sonic jumped back three feet. "Watch it Slash, your going to bury us if your not careful. He glanced at Tails and a immediately fell backwards laughing.  
  
"What!" Tails exclaimed, planting both hands on his hips and causing his fur to puff out slightly.  
  
Sonic just pointed at him from the ground, still In a laughing fit.  
  
The young fox looked down at himself. From head to toe he was covered in snow. His fur had become pure white and he looked like a snowperson.  
  
Sonic finally got himself under enough control to stand back up. "If I didn't know it was you Tails, I would probably try to melt you.  
  
Tails shook the snow off of himself and the trio happily ran to each hut, banging on the door and practically pulling or shoving each occupant out into the beautiful morning.  
  
Another day at the Freedom Fighter village had begun.  
  
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Many miles away, the Floating Island hovered over the ocean. Knuckles the Echidna, named Knuckles for the two spikes protruding from the top of his hand, woke up to a typical morning on his island.  
  
He sat up out of his bed and rubbed his eyes. The warm breeze off of the ocean was blowing straight through the window of his hut and directly into his face. Knuckles breathed in deep.  
  
"The air is invigorating here!" Knuckles thought to himself. He had always enjoyed winter near the equator. The warm air kept both his island and himself from freezing.  
  
Knuckles jumped out of bed and pushed his dreadlocks out of his eyes. He opened the door of his small hut and walked outside, expecting be pounced on by one of the Chaotix. He looked around for a moment before he remembered. His friends had gone skiing at the Ice Cap ski resort. They, unlike Knuckles, enjoyed a bit of cold weather. Especially when you where blazing down a hill at sixty miles per hour.  
  
Knuckles quickly grabbed an apple out of the meal hut he and the chaotix had built, and started his rounds. As guardian, it was his job to make sure that everything on the island was in order.  
  
He finished his apple on the way to the thick jungle area where Sonic and Tails had landed a few years back. This was also the area burnt by Robotnik. His chemical warheads, had almost completely destroyed the area. Knuckles himself had almost lost his life in the flames.  
  
He wondered the jungle for over an hour, checking the plant growth, water supply, and chemical quantity in the dirt. He was just about finished when he heard the sonic boom. He immediately looked up at the sky, alert and ready for anything.  
  
After nothing appeared for over fifteen seconds, Knuckles high tailed it to the beach, the direction the sound came from. He arrived less than two minutes later, for he was fairly close to begin with. He reached the edge of his island and skidded to a stop.  
  
His eyes searched the sky, looking for anything out of place or moving. He stood there looking for a minute before he noticed the vapor trail. It had been blown by the wind, dispersing it and making it hard to see.  
  
Knuckles followed it from the point where he could first see it, towards his island, then curving over the beach, and disappearing over the canopy of the jungle towards the mountains in the center of his island.  
  
The guardian stood gaping for a moment before he shook his head and raced off into the jungle. He had to make sure everything was all right.  
  
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His diagnostic system screamed at him. Warning indicators and damage displays filled his vision. He was running dangerously low on fuel. His battery supply was out and only a few quick modifications, and an extremely rare gem, had allowed him to reach this far.  
  
He had spent many weeks coming here. Damaged systems had reduced the burn time of his single engine to a mere thirteen minutes before it overheated. Even less if he punched it all the way.  
  
The engine on his back screamed and rattled from the supersonic speed it was producing. It would fall apart in minutes if he didn't stop. But he couldn't stop. He had to find it before the guardian stopped him. Right now he had no hope if the guardian showed up. He was too damaged to even put up a good fight.  
  
The canopy of trees below him suddenly thinned out as their altitude increased. In a few moments the tree line appeared.  
  
"Yes!" he said to himself. "I'm almost there. Only a few more minutes.  
  
Looking around the rocks, he quickly found the spot he was looking for.  
  
His engine cut out on command and he dropped like a rock. He was rapidly nearing the deadly rock. Five seconds away. He angled himself so that his feet pointed down and slightly forward.  
  
Four.  
  
Three. He tried unsuccessfully to avoid cringing.  
  
Two. A clicking sound from the bottom of his feet sounded.  
  
One. A bright burst of flame appeared as the air around his engine superheated. The air around literally burned from the engine going from zero output to maximum in a millisecond.  
  
Zero. He hit the ground feet first. The "shock absorbers", as he called them, absorbed the sudden shock that was applied to them, saving their wearer from two broken and shattered legs.  
  
A damage indicator suddenly flared to life in his vision. "ENGINE MALFUNCTION"  
  
"Crud." He said out loud. Shouldn't have done that.  
  
He stood up from his crouch and looked towards the wall. Seconds later he was crawling headfirst down the small passageway towards the heat below him.  
  
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Knuckles raced towards the nearest teleporter ring. In his hand lie a small gray stone. On closer inspection, one would notice that this was no ordinary stone. It was delicately cut and partially clear. Had this been normal circumstances, the stone would have glowed green.  
  
Knuckles felt the island shift beneath him and faltered, losing his pace and tripping over a small stone in the ground. His head landed on another small rock, leaving a large knot in it.  
  
He lie on the ground a few moments before staggering to his feet. His head swam and he felt like he had been in a fifteen round boxing match, and ended up the loser.  
  
He held his head for a moment before remembering about the island. With tears in his eyes, Knuckles continued on. He wasn't far from the nearest teleporter.  
  
A few minutes later he arrived a large tree. He raced to it and kicked open a hidden door near the base of the tree. Knuckles dived in and looked up at the glowing ring before him. Without a second thought, he jumped into the ring and disappeared in blaze of light.  
  
When he reappeared he was standing just inside Hidden Palace. For some reason the teleporter had brought him to one of the outer teleporter receivers instead of the one near the master emerald.  
  
Knuckles stepped off and ran down the glittering hallway. Delicate crystals glowed and pulsated everywhere. Had this not been an emergency, he might have stopped to look at a few newly grown ones.  
  
The guardian tore through a thin wall hiding the master emerald chamber from the rest of hidden palace. He raced in and stopped cold, staring up at the master emerald.  
  
The emerald was glowing dimly, its power being used incredibly fast. The super emeralds, each atop its own pillar, glowed brightly, transferring their power to the island to keep it from falling.  
  
However, Knuckles was not looking at any of this. Instead, he was staring at what was atop the master emerald.  
  
At first he thought it was a robot fox. However, a double take at this revealed that the face was real. Brown fur, turned a sick green by the power of the emerald, covered the face. White fur covered the muzzle and one ear.  
  
From the neck down, one could barely distinguish the fox from a robot. Battered armor covered the body. Only a small glimpse of fur was visible underneath a few spots where the armor was breached.  
  
On the back was what looked like a jetpack. It was fairly rectangular, with the height being slightly more than the length from the left to the right. It was extremely compact in width, as it only stuck out a few inches from the rest of the back.  
  
Metal gloves and boots finished the suit on the hands and feet. The only visible weapons were a fairly long sword hanging from the left side in its scabbard and some kind of rifle strapped over the engine. A high tech helmet lie at his feet on the master emerald.  
  
The fox was kneeling down on one knee on the emerald. Hands palm flat against it and head tilted back. Green energy sparked and crackled from the emerald to the fox.  
  
Knuckles was appalled. How dare he invade his island.!  
  
"Hey!" Knuckles called," "Get down from their now!"  
  
The fox showed no sign of hearing.  
  
Knuckles ran forward and jumped atop the master emerald pedestal. He leaped upon the emerald and landed a solid punch straight in the strangers face.  
  
The fox fell back and rolled off the master emerald. He landed on the ground below with a thump.  
  
For the first time the fox spoke. "Do not mess with me guardian. I am not as damaged as I was when I first arrived."  
  
Knuckles jumped down and turned to look at the fox. "Don't order me around! You have invade MY island and messed with MY emerald. Prepare to be evicted!"  
  
With that, Knuckles surged forward, driven by anger and a will to protect his island. He swung at the fox and hit air. Knuckles swung again and again. Each time the fox dodged the blow as if it were moving in slow motion.  
  
On the next swing, the fox dodged the blow, dashed forward, and landed a punch into Knuckles midsection. Knuckles doubled over and the fox stuck a foot out and pushed Knuckles over it.  
  
Knuckles tripped and fell flat on his face. He flipped over and was on his feet a second later. His last remaining image before he blacked out was of a silver hand coming towards his face.  
  
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The fox climbed back on top the master emerald. The fight with the guardian was brief. He hadn't wanted to hurt him, but he was left with no choice. The energy from the master emerald had allowed his self-repair system to operate at tenfold its normal speed. Over half of his damage had been repaired.  
  
He knelt down again and felt the energy flow into him. It felt like nothing he had ever experienced before. It felt like every nerve in his body lit up at once. His skin crawled and his shuddered every few moments. It was by no means painful, however. He could feel himself energize and his wounds heal.  
  
In a few minutes he was done. He retrieved his helmet and stood, his armor gleaming like it had just been built. All damage indicators had disappeared and he was feeling much better.  
  
With a full charge on all his batteries and his power core funning again, the fox activated the teleporter and teleported back to the outside. Once there, he donned his helmet, ignited his engine, and blasted off into the sky.  
  
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Midday in Knothole was even better than morning. Tails and Sonic had built a snow fortress and were defending it from Slasher and Rotor. Slasher faked a brutal wound and limped around. Rotor had been beaten back under a severe volley while Slasher was down. Serena, Sally, and Bunnie were watching from a nearby hut. Every few minutes the laughed uncontrollably as one of the "soldiers" was beaten down by snow.  
  
Finally the attackers demolished the fort and succeeded in capturing the defenders. All four were covered in snow and sent back to their huts to dry off. Serena headed off toward the stream to see if it was iced over. Sally and Bunnie walked through the snow to the main hut.  
  
A few minutes later, the four snow soldiers joined Sally and Bunnie there. The look on Sally's faces instantly darkened their mood.  
  
Sally stood their a moment before talking. "Knuckles just called in. He was attacked earlier this morning."  
  
Sonic looked at Slasher and then back at Sally before replying. "How bad is he? Was he hurt?"  
  
"Not badly, only a few bruises and a bloody nose." Sally stated, "However, he was extremely worried about what the attacker did to the master emerald."  
  
"Whoa! Did he attack it to?" Sonic asked.  
  
"Knuckles doesn't think so. He thinks he was somehow absorbing the energy of the master emerald." Sally said.  
  
Tails cut in a moment later. "Wow, I didn't think anyone could do that, huh Sonic."  
  
Sonic pulled a chair out from a nearby table and sat down. Slasher, who had remained silent for the conversation, suddenly spoke. "Did Knuckles give a description of his attacker?"  
  
Sally turned to look at the large raptor. "He said it looked like a fox with armor on." She thought for a moment before continuing. "He said to think of a swatbot, square off the armor below the knees and elbows, and add a jetpack to the back."  
  
Rotor suddenly piped up. "Wow. Id love to get a look at that armor."  
  
Sally turned to Rotor, "You might get to Rotor."  
  
"Oh," he replied, his face scrunching into a confused shape, "how's that Sally?"  
  
"Knuckles thinks that the attacker is heading our way." She paused for a moment before she continued. "He says that he can FEEL him. Or rather the energy he possesses."  
  
Sonic stood up. "Yeah, I can believe that. He can do awesome stuff with his emerald."  
  
"Even so, if this fox can absorb the emeralds power, then he's very dangerous." She pushed a strand of hair from her eyes and continued. "Sonic, I think you should go check the radar stations in the Great Forest."  
  
"You got it Sal." Sonic quickly said before running out the door and blasting towards the nearest trail.  
  
"Sally," Slasher said softly, "I'm going to patrol the air for a bit. If anybody finds the attacker try to be peaceful."  
  
Tails looked to her and spoke up. "But Slasher, he attacked knuckles!"  
  
The raptor turned to look at the young fox. "I know, but he could have done much worse. As I see it, he caused no permanent damage." She reached out and scratched behind his ear. "Now, I bet you could catch up to Sonic if you left now"  
  
The fox turned wide eyed and excitedly replied, "Really!"  
  
"Sure, but you gotta leave now."  
  
With that, Tails ran out of the hut and immediately began tracking his hero's path through the woods.  
  
Slasher walked out onto the snow and unfolded her wings. Sally walked out behind her headed towards her hut.  
  
Slasher turned as if she suddenly remembered something. "Sally! Don't forget about dinner!" The raptor smiled and lept into the air, wings beating as she quickly gained altitude.  
  
Sally stood for a moment smiling. She knew she could trust Slasher, but she could not get used to Slasher's personality. It seemed to defy everything sometimes.  
  
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A few hours later found Slasher high over the great forest, sharp eyes looking down for anything out of the ordinary. The sky was overcast and a cold wind had begun an hour earlier. It was beginning to numb her toes and wings, while her eyes watered from the air constantly hitting them.  
  
She flew for a few more minutes before suddenly turning. She was going to drop from the sky if she stayed to much longer. She finished her turn and was headed back when something caught her eye. She reacted and turned to face the area of the disturbance.  
  
After looking for several minutes, she decided it was nothing. She had just returned to her original path back to Knothole when laser fire suddenly sounded in her ears. She looked in the direction of the sound and could just make out the laser blasts between the white treetops.  
  
Slasher nose dived and headed toward the battle, dodging the occasional glancing shot. She shot through the treetops and landed fifty yards from the fight. Slasher quietly and quickly leaped from tree to tree, hiding her from anyone in the battle.  
  
She moved a branch from in front of her eyes and gazed upon the fight before her. The snow was pitted with many laser marks and an equal number of footsteps. She could make out over a dozen swatbots, four ultra- swatbots, and something else. The "something else" seemed to be just a blur. It blazed past a bot and the bots head suddenly fell from its shoulders. All the swatbots seemed to be having trouble keeping up with the blur.  
  
Slasher ducked out of the way as the swatbots turned toward her, following the figure speeding by them. When she turned back four more swatbots and an ultra-swatbot were down. The rest, seeing that they couldn't hope to win, turned and fled. The swatbots broke into a run while the ultras ignited their jets and took off.  
  
The blur suddenly stopped. Slasher could see the back of the creature standing before her. Armor covered it from head to toe. A tail, armored in a multi-joint part, stuck from its lower back and nearly reached the ground. Two ears, also armored in the same joint like armor, swiveled left and right through the helmet he wore.  
  
Slasher knew instantly that this was Knuckles attacker. He relaxed and put up his sword, wiping away oil and coolant off of it. Slasher stepped out and began to speak. "Hello, my name is Sla-"  
  
She was cut off as the fox whirled around and leaped at her. She stepped back and put her hands out, catching the fox by one arm and sending him flying face first into the snow.  
  
The fox returned to his feet instantly and bared his teeth. He leaped right, quicker than Slasher could follow. She turned and felt a blow fall on the right side of her face. Her head whipped to the side and she immediately felt another blow land on her ribs. A soft cracking sound accompanied the blow.  
  
Slasher's yell of echoed through the forest, sending birds and other non intelligent life forms fleeing. Slasher fell to one side as her left foot was kicked out from under her.  
  
She opened her eyes and stared at the point of a sword. Her eyes travelled from the tip, to the black gripped hilt, and up the metal hand that gripped it. Her eyes finally met his through the transparent material covering his face. His eyes were like ice. A cool blue, with intricate shapes and shades making up the iris. His pupils seemed to be endless pits of nothing. An empty void inside a living creature.  
  
The fox shifted his left hand from his side to double grip the sword. Neither moved for several moments. If someone would have passed they would have thought them to be statues. A large velociraptor, lying in a broken heap on the ground. Her legs underneath one side and her head and chin up, gazing at her attacker. The fox, standing straight up, tip of his sword nearly between her eyes.  
  
Both creatures waited for the other to make the first move. It was the fox that did. He pulled his sword back and inch or two and spoke. "Give me one good reason I should not kill you right this moment."  
  
Slasher thought for a second before answering. "I can give you no reason."  
  
"Then prepare to die, demon. You have one minute for any last words." With that the fox lifted his left arm up and removed the helmet.  
  
Slasher, knowing she was doomed, looked into his eyes and did the last thing he expected. She bowed her head and prayed. The foxes mouth hung open as she prayed to her maker, telling her lord to prepare to receive her soul and have mercy upon his. His grip on his sword loosened until the sword fell from his hands into the snow.  
  
He stood until Slasher had finished, then kneeled down on one knee and reached for his sword. He pulled his sword up and put it back up in the scabbard hanging from the left side of his waist.  
  
His metal clad hands reached up and under the armor at his neck. From it he pulled a necklace. Slasher looked and realized this was no ordinary necklace. Hanging from a simple chain was a gold cross. A single green stone sat inside the center.  
  
He kissed the cross and closed his eyes. His mouth muttered something in a language Slasher did not understand. He sat muttering for several minutes.  
  
When he finished, he tucked the cross back under his armor and stood up. He looked down on the injured raptor and unlatched his left glove. He reached down to take her claw. "I am sorry for the pain I have caused you. I will never harm you again."  
  
With that, he grabbed her claw. Her eyes instantly widened as the energy flowed into her. The last thing the saw was the armored fox standing over her, a single scarred hand still holding hers. Then her vision faded into blackness, the kind his eyes were made of.  
  
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Slasher awakened back in her hut. She groaned and rolled over on the floor. Her head was stuffy and her vision was blurry. She lie on the floor for a few minutes before getting up. Her head and vision were sufficiently cleared to walk around again.  
  
Her memory suddenly returned and she reached down to her chest. Nothing. No pain. She reached up to fell her cheek. Again, nothing. Not even a bruise.  
  
Amazed, she opened the door and stepped out into the snow.  
  
"Hey Slash! Finally got back I see." A certain blue figure yelled from another hut.  
  
"Yeah Sonic. Umm, have you seen Sally?" Slasher glanced around, looking for the princess.  
  
Sonic leaped down into the snow ran over to her. "Yeah I have, she cooking in the main hut." He looked up at her, puzzled by her lack of interest in him. "Is something wrong Slash? Cuz it would be real uncool to keep it to yourself." Sonic said, a slight smirk forming on his face.  
  
Slasher ignored him and raced to the main hut. She opened the door and went inside. Sonic stood where he was and scratched his head. "Hey Sonic!" Sonic looked over to see Tails standing just outside the village. "Me and Serena made a snow ramp! Wanna come check it out? I bet I can shoot higher than you!"  
  
Sonic, forgetting Slasher, yelled back. "No way Tails. I am up, over, and gone!" With that he blasted past Tails and off into the woods.  
  
Slasher found Sally in the back of the hut, just putting their dinner in the "oven". The mobian tradition was that christmas dinner was actually held on christmas eve. Other than that, man things were the same as the human christmas. The oven was more like a metal box, sitting on a metal heating coil. It wasn't the best thing, and any food cooked in it had to be watched closely, but it was the best they had.  
  
Slasher waited a moment while Sally added the final seasoning to the mobian equivalent to a turkey. The princess turned and took off her cooking mitts. She turned her head and glanced at Slasher. The look on the raptors face told her something was very wrong.  
  
"What's wrong?" she asked.  
  
Slasher looked to Sally and motion for her to sit at the nearest table. Once seated, Slasher told her what had happened while she was out on patrol. About the fight and the way the fox spared her.  
  
When she finished, Sally just stared up at her. Slasher sniffed the air and looked back at Sally. "Is something burning?"  
  
"Our dinner!" Sally rushed to the oven and opened it. She reached in and pulled the "turkey" out, burning herself no less than three times. A light layer of black crust had developed on the top.  
  
Sally peeled it off and looked at the rest of their dinner. "Well, I think its still edible. Just needs a few more hours of cooking." She put the turkey back in the over and turned the coil down. This time she remembered to put on her mitts.  
  
Sally turned back to Slasher and spoke quietly. "I don't think we should tell anyone about this until after tomorrow. No sense in spoiling christmas."  
  
Slasher nodded her head in agreement. "I agree, I don't think he will bother anyone here."  
  
With that, slasher walked out of the hut and into the snow again. She followed the path Sonic had made and soon found two hedgehogs and a fox rolling down a hill, onto a ramp, and flying through the air before landing in a pile of snow. She climbed into a tree and shook the snow from a low branch. Once clear, she lie their on the branch, legs hanging down, watching the trio have fun. All the while she kept her ears open for any more trouble.  
  
The rest of the day passed uneventful. The freedom fighters enjoyed a nice dinner and went to bed slightly early. Each wanted to get up early for their presents. That is, all except one. Slasher tossed and turned all night. No matter how hard she tried, she could not get to sleep.  
  
Once, about two in the mourning, she thought she saw a shadow pass her window. She raced to the door and flung it open, finding no one. Not even footprints. She returned to he spot and lie back down. She was awake for another hour before finally falling asleep.  
  
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End chapter 1 


	3. Chapter 2-Christmas Day

Darkness Rising  
  
Chapter 2:  
  
Christmas Day  
  
A sharp voice sounded her awake. "Slasher! Get up!." She opened her eyes and looked up. Through the blurring she could make out a small orange form. "What Tails?" she asked groggily.  
  
Tails was nearly jumping with excitement in her hut. He grabbed her arm and tried to drag her out. "Cmon! Its time for the presents!" Slasher glanced at her clock sitting on one of the few small tables in her hut. 5:45 AM.  
  
"Tails," Slasher paused to yawn loudly, "Its much too early. Go back to bed." Tails pulled on her arm again. "But Sonic and Sally are up!" Slasher's head came up sharply. "What!" Tails pulled again. He lost his grip in the process and falling on his rear with a grunt.  
  
"Ouch." He stood up and rubbed his wound. He looked back at Slasher and all thoughts of his fall disappeared. "Why can't you get up if Sonic and Sally are?" Slasher groaned and leaned her head on the floor for a moment.  
  
"Fine Tails, ill be up in a minute." With that she laid her head back down. Tails stood for a moment before grabbing her arm again. "Slasher!" he whined, "You said you'd get up!" Slasher sighed and pushed herself to her feet. She wobbled for a moment before her the rest of her body caught up with her feet.  
  
The air instantly woke her when she stepped out. The perfect Christmas morning. The sun was just rising over the treetops, a blaze of hot orange against the white terrain. The air was cold and crisp, with smells of the forest invading her nose. She rubbed her eyes looked down to where Tails had stood seconds before. His footprints led to a nearby hut, whose door was ajar with two orange and white tails. Before long, Bunnie clanked out of her hut and into the snow. Too tired to do anything, she just walked to the main hut.  
  
Slasher looked around, admiring the morning for a moment before heading to the main hut. She pushed open the door and found the rest of the freedom fighters up. Sonic's was seated at a nearby table, his head dropped from his hand every few seconds, only to be brought up before hitting the table. The process repeated itself.  
  
Tails was seated on top of one table, his legs swinging back in forth and his ears fidgeting in anticipation. He glanced around every few moments, as if waiting for someone to tell him to open his presents.  
  
In front of Tails, in the far corner of the hut, lay the presents. A medium size Christmas tree, decorated with various objects, stood over them. Sally glanced around the room. All eyes were on her, with one thought. She smiled briefly before saying, "All right, everyone grab their presents."  
  
The hut turned to chaos. Everyone practically ran for the tree. Different voices echoed thorough the room.  
  
"Here Sally! This one's for you!"  
  
"Wow! I got a big one!"  
  
"Sonic, do you see my presents?"  
  
"No. Ow! Watch the corners!"  
  
"Watch it! Don't knock over the tree!"  
  
Slasher and Sally stood back from the group. Sally sighed and pushed her hair back. "Animals." The large raptor next to her glanced at Sally before replying, "I agree."  
  
When most of the commotion wound down, the two ladies stepped forward to retrieve their presents. Slasher picked up three for herself. Obviously one was from Sonic. It had been covered in blue paper with red sneakers colored all over it. A makeshift ribbon and bow held the paper onto the present. She grinned and looked at the next one.  
  
This present had to be from Tails. It was sloppily covered, with the bow tied wrong and the ribbon at an odd angle over the present. Just the right style for someone like him. She moved to the next package. It was very neatly wrapped, with a green bow and ribbon. The paper was pulled tight, and it felt rather light. She looked around for its giver.  
  
Her eyes finally fell upon Sally. The princess stood with a few presents in her hands. She looked up and met Slasher's eyes. Both just smiled.  
  
Slasher opened all three presents, paying careful attention not to rip the paper on the last one. Sonic had given her a picture frame. It had been welded together with different pieces of metal, with a triangular stand on the back. The frame had seven small gems set inside the frame. Each had a different color. She noticed that each corresponded to one of the emerald colors.  
  
Tails had giver her, what else, a picture. He and Sonic where standing together at a ski lodge, Sonic's arm on Tails shoulder. Both held snowboards in their outside hands. They were appropriately colored. Behind them, in the snow, were two words. They had been made perfectly. No sloppiness or misspelled letters. Each letter was the correct size as the last one. It was obvious that great care had been taken to make them. It read, "Thanks Slasher." She wiped a tear away as she remembered their journey to the Ice Cap mountain range.  
  
The last package contained a single sheet of thick paper. She flipped it over and read the words written there. It was an official document from the princess, making her part of the kingdom, as "Guardian".  
  
Slasher looked up to see Sally standing before her. With one swift movement, the raptor embraced the princess in a tight hug. "Thank you Sally." She stepped back and bowed down. Sally, taken by surprise, stood shocked for a moment. She regained her composure and returned the bow.  
  
Sally stood up, Slasher following her a half second later. Both turned to look over their presents a second time and talk with everyone else.  
  
Slasher returned to her hut with her presents. She inserted the picture into the frame and set it on a small table near the window. She put the document inside the single drawer in that table.  
  
She had just finished when a soft knock sounded at her door. She took a step and opened the door. Outside, Sonic held a small box in his hand. "Hey Slash, I found this beneath all the wrapping paper. I think its yours."  
  
Slasher took the box and motioned Sonic to come in. Sonic stepped in and closed the door behind him. He sat down cross legged on the floor beside Slasher. Slasher laid down and opened the box. Inside was a small object. It was a gold cross. A single green stone sat in the middle.  
  
Slasher stared for a moment before glancing at Sonic. The blue hedgehog returned the look. "Wow Slash, who gave it to you?"  
  
Slasher looked down at the cross again. "A friend. I think."  
  
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Elsewhere in the forest, at about the same time, someone else was celebrating Christmas. The fox sat beside a blazing fire, orange and red light glinting off his armor. A small animal, now beyond recognition, was roasting over the fire.  
  
The fox took his sword and cut off a chunk of the animal. He sniffed it and took a bite. "Hmm. A few more minutes." With that he put his sword back up and lie back. It was a beautiful morning. The sky was a deep blue, with no clouds in sight. The air had warmed to just below freezing. Warm for this time of year. The entire forest was covered in snow from the snowstorm two days before.  
  
The armored figure lie in the snow for several minutes. He abruptly sat up and removed the animal from atop the fire. Using his sword as a fork and knife, he carved his breakfast up and ate it. Half an hour later, the only sign of his being there was a smoldering fire under a pile of snow, and a few leftover bones.  
  
The fox cruised over the top tree limbs at eighty miles per hour. He was full and enjoying his slow flight. Suddenly a warning light flashed into his view. He was being scanned! He cut his engine and dropped to the forest floor. He hit hard and rolled to the left behind a tree.  
  
He activated his own scanners and aimed them around the forest. A few seconds later he was rewarded by a ping. He focused his scanners on it and a figure popped into his mind a second later. Data about it quickly followed.  
  
It was a robot. He couldn't tell what kind, but he remembered his fight yesterday. He reached down and pulled his sword out. The metal shined a bright silver in the morning light. The robot was less than fifty yards away. His scanners couldn't determine the exact location.  
  
He dashed to a nearby tree and peeked out. He couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. Suddenly, something moved off to his right. He whirled around to face the disturbance.  
  
Nothing. No more movement. His scanners lost the signal as suddenly as they had found it. He crouched down into a fighting stance, his ears swiveled in their protective slots toward the front. He listened carefully, eyes glancing every few moments from one side to the other.  
  
Then he heard it. A soft hum, like a small generator. He used his hearing to zero in on the sound. He waited a few seconds before yelling, "I know you're there! Come out now and I will not harm you!"  
  
The reply was instant. "Fool! You think you can hurt me? I will show you what happens to those I don't like!"  
  
From directly in front of him came a figure. It was obviously a robot. Its most noticeable feature was its resemblance to a hedgehog. Its armor and outer hull was a dark blue, with the top of its head swept up and back into several pointed spikes. Its "muzzle" was a light gray, with a small spiked nose. The arms, from the shoulder to the elbow, were a thin piece of gray metal. The lower arms to the wrist was much thicker, as if designed to deflect or block blows.  
  
The palms of its hands were yellow. The fingers curved into sharp points at the end. No doubt they were as sharp as they looked. In the center of its body lie a single jet engine. It was currently in operation, propelling its owner six inches off the ground toward its victim. Its two read crescent eyes glowed brightly as it looked at its target.  
  
The fox moved toward the oncoming robot. He brought his sword up above his head in preparation for his attack. The robot dodged right as the fox brought his sword down. The sword swiped the air a mere two inches from the robots body.  
  
The robot flew thirty feet and landed in front of a tree. "Stupid fool! I am Metal Sonic! The greatest robot ever built! You cannot defeat me!"  
  
The fox smirked under his helmet, "A little too confident aren't we. Why don't you come over here now, I just want to talk to you."  
  
The robot would have bared his teeth if it had any. Instead, it lowered its head and charged, arms outstretched, fingers ready to do damage.  
  
The fox jumped up and activated his own engine. He shot above the trees, Metal Sonic right behind him. The two combatants accelerated and gained altitude. At five thousand feet the fox turned sharply and headed towards Metal Sonic. He jink left, then right, then left again. Metal Sonic followed his movements precisely, all the while coming closer. At the last second before the two collided, Metal Sonic slashed out with his hands, catching air and continuing on.  
  
The fox however, jinked upwards and slashed down with his sword. The sharp blade caught the robot on the left shoulder, leaving a large gash in the armor there.  
  
Both figures turned and stopped. Each hovered for a moment. Metal Sonic surveyed his wound. Light damage to the armor, nothing major. He looked back at the fox hovering a few hundred feet away, his eyes getting brighter at the thought of the fox drawing first blood. He was determined to make it up.  
  
Metal Sonic leaped forward, his engine whined with stress as it was red lined. The fox simply hovered there, letting the robot come closer. As it approached, the fox turned the right and moved backward a few feet. Metal Sonic turned slightly as his target moved. He put out his arms and aimed directly at the fox.  
  
Metal Sonic got within ten feet before the fox reacted. Using unheard of reaction time, the fox reached out and grabbed the robots arm. He pulled and lay backwards in the air at the same time. His foot came up violently, catching Metal Sonic straight in his engine intake. The engine whined, sputtered, and died, its intake blocked by a large metal foot.  
  
The fox swung the robot downward, pulling his foot out of the intake and sending Metal Sonic flying towards the ground. Now that its intake was cleared, Metal Sonic's engine sputtered a few times before turning itself back on. The robot pulled himself out of his nose dive and came to a stop a few hundred feet later.  
  
He turned and glared back at the fox, his eyes burning a crimson red. He was about to attack again when his communicator received a message. Mecha's head turned slightly to the side as he listened to the message. After a few moments he replied, "Affirmative, I will return at once." With that he turned and fled the area.  
  
The fox watched Metal Sonic leave, his mind wondering. Why had he been attacked? Why had the blue robot left? With his questions unanswered he headed to the nearest place that might have the answer. Knothole.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----  
  
Sonic paused at the edge of the Great Forest. Before him was the Great Plains. They stretched at least five miles from Robotropolis to the Great Forest. And that was at its thinnest point. It stretched for hundreds of miles, lining the western part of the Great Forest. The tree line made an excellent boundary. The plains came up, meeting the forest at a single line of trees. The boundary stretched for the entire length of the forest.  
  
Sonic was out on a routine patrol. Although it was Christmas, Robotnik had been busy lately. Reports from uncle Chuck told them to be prepared for something big around the holidays.  
  
Sonic had just completed his second to last leg of his patrol when he heard the familiar sound of a jet engine. He immediately ducked behind a tree and peeked out. For a few seconds nothing appeared. Suddenly, Mecha appeared over the treetops, his arms behind him and his body not quite flat. He was flying fast towards Robotropolis. Sonic, standing still behind a tree, was missed by the flying robot.  
  
The blue hedgehog waited a few minutes until he was sure Metal Sonic had left the immediate area. He was about to leave for his last leg when he heard Tails voice.  
  
"Sonic! Come quick!"  
  
Sonic whirled around to see the small fox flying toward him at full speed. His mouth was open and his tongue hung out. As he approached, Sonic could hear him panting loudly.  
  
"Sonic! I." Tails paused for a breath. "I saw Knuckles attacker!."  
  
Tails fell beside Sonic, his small body heaved with each breath. Sonic picked him up and held him steady. "Whoa, you sure?" Tails turned and looked into Sonic's eyes, "Definitely, it was the same guy." Tails took a few more breaths. His breathing slowed a little and he continued.  
  
"I saw him fly over. He wore armor and had a jet engine on his back."  
  
Sonic thought for a second. "Which way was he headed?"  
  
Tails eyes widened and he nearly yelled, "Straight towards Knothole!"  
  
Sonic's mouth dropped and he stood for a moment. He regained himself a half second later and spoke. "Cmon Tails. We gotta get to Knothole before he does." With that Sonic blasted toward Knothole, his speed increasing every second. He held on to Tail's hand to keep him from falling behind. Behind him tails gasped for breath, he was having trouble keeping up and had never seen Sonic so panicked.  
  
The two reached Knothole twenty second later. They entered the town and found the freedom fighters gathered around something. Sonic slowed and let go of Tails. The two tailed fox fell to the ground and gasped for breath. Sonic approached the group and entered the circle.  
  
He gazed upon the figure in the middle in horror. It was Sally. A horrible burn marked her left shoulder. The wound had obviously been caused by a laser. The wound had not bled much because the laser cauterized it. However, the pain was immense and Sally was trying hard to keep from crying.  
  
Slasher stood over her, cleaning the wound and applying some sort of gel. She appeared remarkably calm despite the ordeal. In a minute or two the wound had been cleaned and bandaged. Slasher picked up the wounded Sally and carried her to her hut. Sonic followed the whole way.  
  
Slasher laid Sally on her bed. She turned to Sonic, whose eyes had teared up and threatened to spill over. She left the hut, closing the door behind her. She was immediately bombarded by questions.  
  
"How is Sally!"  
  
"Is she ok?"  
  
"Is she going to die?"  
  
Slasher looked down to see Tails. His eyes were teared and the fur on his face was wet from the tears. Slasher crouched down and took the small fox in her arms. "No Tails, Sally will be fine."  
  
Trusting Slasher, Tails nodded and crawled out of her hands. He jumped to the ground and made a beeline for his hut.  
  
The rest of the crowd, content with the fact that Sally would be fine, had gone off in small groups, muttering amongst themselves. All left Sally and Sonic alone.  
  
A few hours later, a very angry hedgehog left Sally's hut. He immediately went to Slasher, who had volunteered to cook dinner.  
  
"Slash," the blue hedgehog said, "What happened here?"  
  
Slasher stirred something in a pot before turning to Sonic. "Well, I was down by the stream, watching Serena and Bunnie try to ice fish, when I heard a scream come from Knothole." She paused and turned the heat down on the oven before continuing. "I ran straight for the village. When I arrived I saw Sally some out of her hut and fire a laser pistol at someting."  
  
Sonic cut in "It was him wasn't it. Knuckles' attacker. He did it didn't he!"  
  
Slasher nodded. "Sally got off a few rounds before he could react. He then shot her and flew away."  
  
Sonic had heard all he wanted to hear. He ran straight for his hut, leaving a high speed wind in his wake. He was not seen for the rest of the day.  
  
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Metal fingers drummed one arm of the large chair. Seated in this chair was the most hated being on the planet. Dr. Ivo Robotnik. His body weight equaled that of the metal chair and his mustache reached out past his head. He was probably the fattest person on the planet also.  
  
He swiveled around and continued drumming his fingers. His left arm was completely metal. An accident years ago, caused by Sonic the Hedgehog, had nearly caused him to lose his arm. However, the prototype robitcizer had just been perfected, with himself as the first test subject. He now literally ruled with an iron fist.  
  
The double doors to the command center slid open to reveal a tiny human. His hair had all but fallen out, and his skin was pale from living years in the polluted city. When he spoke, his voice was high pitched and annoyed the listener like nails on a chalkboard.  
  
"Dr. Robotnik, sir, Metal Sonic has just arrived."  
  
The evil doctor turned his chair to face the door. "Send him directly to me Snively, and make it quick!"  
  
The small human muttured a "Yes sir" before scurrying out into the hallway. He reappeared a few minutes with a blue robot behind him.  
  
Dr. Robotnik looked over his creation. He noticed the gash in his shoulder and frowned. "I assume that the new battle software did not meet expectations."  
  
Mecha Sonic looked up at his master and replied, "No, it was worse than my original programming. I wish to delete the files."  
  
Robotnik stroked his mustache and pushed a button the arm of his chair. Two swatbots appeared in the doorway. "Swatbots," he bagan, "Assist Metal Sonic with his repairs."  
  
The two robots saluted before following the robot hedgehog down the hall. The doors swished shut behind them.  
  
"Snively, how is project C8 going?"  
  
Snively brightened a little. He always liked to bring good news to his uncle. It usually kept him from injury for a few days. "Project C8 is ahead of schedule sir. Reports indicate that we will be finished within the week."  
  
The large doctor swiveled towards one of the many monitors in the room. He smiled and pushed a few buttons on the arm of his chair. On screen flickered and changed, showing the face and body of a weasel. He was wearing a lab coat and looked to be exhausted. Behind him in the distance, several towers and pyramids towered into the sky. Every few moments, a pyramid or tower seemed to phase around. The onlookers didn't seem to notice.  
  
"When will the project be finished Dr.?" asked Robotnik.  
  
The weasel cowered down before answering, "We will be finished tomorrow Dr. Robotnik. I will have the transport bring you it before the New Year.  
  
Robotnik reached up and stroked his mustache again. "Good. Oh, and doctor, I want you to personally bring it."  
  
The scientist's face changed to horror just as the screen faded out. Robotnik turned to face Snively again. "In a few days Snively, I will have my ultimate weapon back! Imagine what I could've done with it had that blasted hedgehog not interfered!"  
  
He laughed an evil laugh that echoed around the command center. Snively smiled and walked out of the room. He always like to see his uncle happy. Those few times that Robotnik was happy was what kept him alive.  
  
A cleaning bot scurried out of the command center doors and down the hall. It nearly ran Snively over in its hurry. Snively picked himself up off the floor from where he had jumped to. "Stupid robots, never can do anything right." He muttered.  
  
A few minutes later, the same cleaning robot scurried through a trap door in a junk pile. The top of it popped off and out climbed another robot hedgehog. However, this did not look dangerous. It had no weapons and its eyes glowed softly. This was Sonic's Uncle Chuck. He was one of the first people to be fully roboticized by robotnik. Quite ironical, considering he was the inventor of the machine.  
  
He walked over to his desk and scribbled a note. He then folded it up and placed it inside a robot pigeon. The pigeon cooed softly before flying away on its pre-programmed flight path. Chuck pulled out a small disk and slid it into a makeshift computer. He began to type quickly. "I have to find out what Robotnik is up to. It seems to be dangerous. I only hope Sonic can stop him this time."  
  
The hedgehog stayed at his computer for the rest of the day. He stopped once his next shift began. He hopped back into the cleaning bot and out the door after checking for swatbots.  
  
Whatever Robotnik was up too, he had to be stopped. It was his job to gather all the information he could to help the freedom fighters.  
  
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End Chapter 2 


	4. Chapter 3-Shadows Released

1 Darkness Rising  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Shadows Released  
  
  
  
The cold morning took the place of the even colder night in the Great Forest. A small rabbit appeared out from behind a bush. It sniffed for several moments before hopping onto a nearly non-existent trail. Suddenly the rabbit stopped. Its ears popped up moments before it dashed back to cover.  
  
An armor-clad fox brushed away a limb and stepped out onto the trail. A sword hung from one hand, nearly touching the ground. The other hand held a silver helmet.  
  
The fox turned and looked down the trail. His right eye, the only good eye he had now, moved back and forth along the edge of the trail. The other eye sported a slightly bloodied bandage. Knowing he had lost his breakfast, the fox sighed and started hi trek out of the woods.  
  
He sheathed his sword and moved out onto the plains. The black cloud above Robotropolis could easily be seen in the distance. Without looking back he ran a few steps and leaped into the air. The jet engine on his back abruptly fired and he soured into the air.  
  
At two hundred feet he leveled off and began a slow flight that would lead him towards the black city. When he was about half a mile from the city he slowed and came to a hover. A small antenna popped out his shoulder and came up two feet.  
  
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Deep in Robotropolis, a small moniter flickered and came to life. A small robotic squirrel standing at a console turned to look at it. Its red eyes flared at the screen for a moment before it turned around and started pushing buttons on the console.  
  
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"Sir, incoming transmission." Snively told his uncle and master. He turned and tapped the console in front of him. A large monitor above him switched to show several lines of text.  
  
Robotnik swiveled in his chair and looked at the monitor. He was still chewing most of what was left of his breakfast. The rest of the cinnamon roll was either on his lips, in his moustache, or in his large lap.  
  
The fat dictator finished chewing and swallowed. "Snively, tell this person meet me at these coordinates in half an hour." With that he typed a few numbers on the left arm of his chair.  
  
After licking his lips and wiping his mouth, Dr. Robotnik stood and walked out of the room. He moved down the hall and opened a bland gray door on his left. The door hissed opened and the doctor stepped inside.  
  
As soon as the door opened, several large lights flickered on from the ceiling. The room was large and hangar like. Most of the ground was covered with SWAT-bot hovercraft. However, in one corner, a green tarp covered another object.  
  
Robotnik walked over and unfastened several hooks holding the tarp to the ground. He then pulled the tarp to reveal what was underneath. The tarp covered a large round object. It was about half the size of a SWAT-bot craft, and the top was open. A heavy-duty glass windshield faced the front. Three legs extended down from the bottom to the floor.  
  
"Ahhh.my old hovercraft. I'm glad I finally restored it. The new features are sure to best that hedgehog if I see him again." It was true. His old hovercraft was tough as nails and could turn on a dime. It had withstood many attacks from the hedgehog and was finally destroyed because he left it aboard the Death Egg when it was destroyed. The new one was even better. It outperformed the normal SWAT-bot hovercraft in every way. It could be configured to do many things, including carry armor and weapons.  
  
Dr. Robotnik climbed a short ladder and stepped into he cockpit. It was slightly larger than the previous versions. He turned flipped a small red switch and smiled as the craft vibrated beneath him.  
  
Several minutes later found him flying through the air towards his destination. His moustache was blown back by the wind and his face was twisted into an evil smile.  
  
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Sonic stood in the shadows, watching Dr. Robotnik fly away in his hovercraft. "Well," the blue hedgehog thought, "Just like old times huh doc"  
  
He waited until the round craft had disappeared over a factory before venturing out into the street. Sonic ran and ducked into the shadows on the other side just as two SWAT-bots rounded a corner.  
  
He continued to pick his way through the black city for another ten minutes. For reasons he didn't know, Robotnik had definitely beefed up Robotropolis security. Extra patrols were around just about every corner and Sonic was hard pressed to get to his destination without being spotted.  
  
Finally he arrived at the junk piles. He walked over to one and a door suddenly opened from the rubble. Standing inside was a robot hedgehog.  
  
"Sonic!" the robot hedgehog said.  
  
"Uncle Chuck!" Sonic replied, running and giving his uncle a hug.  
  
Chuck broke the embrace and pulled Sonic inside, closing the door behind him. "Sonic, I trust you got my message?"  
  
"Yep, we got it." Sonic replied, grabbing a nearby chair and spinning it to sit in it backwards. "So, whats up with Buttnik?"  
  
"I don't know Sonic. Something big is going on. Something REALLY big." Chuck walked to his computer and typed a few commands. "See this? It was in one of the most heavily encrypted files in Robotnik's computer."  
  
Sonic hopped up and looked at the screen. The screen showed a 3D image of something very familiar to Sonic. His eyes widened and his face went pale.  
  
"Sonic! Sonic, are you okay?" Chuck asked, lightly shaking his nephew by the shoulder. Sonic blinked and looked up at his uncle.  
  
"Uncle Chuck.That's the Death Egg."  
  
"What is that?" Chuck replied.  
  
"Uncle Chuck, the Death Egg is a flying battleship. It is a floating city. It has enough power to take over the world.which it would have had I not blown it to pieces."  
  
The robotic hedgehog's mouth fell open. He stood a few moments before regaining his composure. "Where could he build such a thing? I don't know of any construction facilities big enough to build something like that."  
  
"I don't know," Sonic said, scratching his head, "but ill tell the rest of the gang to get on it right away."  
  
"Got it Sonic. Be careful heading back to Knothole. Robotnik has doubled the patrols today"  
  
"No problem Uncle Chuck." With that the two embraced again before Sonic sneaked out the door and back into the city.  
  
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Slasher had just finished redressing Sally's bandage when a sonic boom announced the blue hedgehog's arrival. She threw the old bandages away and put the princess' arm back in the sling moments before Sonic threw open the door.  
  
"Slasher, Sally, listen up."  
  
He instantly had their attention. "Robotnik has big plans. And it has something to do with the Death Egg."  
  
Sally looked from Slasher to Sonic before replying, "Whats the Death Egg?"  
  
Sonic quickly described the deadly craft and told of its destruction. When he finished Sally hopped down from her bed and ran to the door. "Slasher, town meeting in five minutes, go get everyone!"  
  
The raptor quickly moved out the door and called for the villagers of Knothole.  
  
Five minutes later found everyone in knothole in the main hut. Most were chatting away, anxious to hear what this emergency meeting was about.Sally stood and called for them to quiet down.  
  
"Ok listen up. We know Robotnik is up to something involving a craft called the Death Egg." At the mention of that name, Tails gasped.  
  
"No! Not the Death Egg! I thought we destroyed it Sonic!" He turned to look at his hero beside him.  
  
Sonic patted his friends head and replied, "I know we did little buddy. I don't know what old Buttniks up to this time."  
  
Several people suddenly piped up. "Hey, whats the Death Egg?"  
  
Sonic stood and told them the whole story about the Death Egg. How he had nearly destroyed it twice, and finally destroyed it high above Mobius.  
  
The rest of the day was spent planning reconnaissance missions. They could do nothing until they had intelligence on what Robotnik was doing. They returned to their beds late at night, far later than usual. All were prepared to do what was necessary.  
  
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While the freedom fighters were meeting to discuss their plans, a very different meeting was taking place just outside of Robotropolis.  
  
Robotnik, flanked by SWAT-bots, landed his hovercraft on the dirty brown grass that made up the plains nearest to the city. A small cloud of dirt and chemicals flew up as he stepped out.  
  
In front of him was the sender of the message. The armored fox hovered six inches above the ground. His laser rifle held at port with both hands. The only visible eye glared at him. If looks could kill, Robotnik would have had a hole burned through his forhead. A bloody bandage covered the other eye. The blood had long since dried, for it was dark and hard. The fox looked around at the SWAT-bots before speeking.  
  
"Well, doctor. It seems we are in a position to help each other." The fox said, shifting his rifle slightly.  
  
Robotnik glared at him for a moment, his robotic fist clenched tight. "Oh? And why do you think I need your help?"  
  
"Because," the fox replied, "I know where the freedom fighters are." The fox smiled at Robotnik's surprised reaction. He quickly regained himself and stepped forward. "Hmm.you have my full attention. Now, what do you want?"  
  
"I want your help with.this." The fox replied, lifting a hand to his head. He pulled at the bandage and felt the fur lightly pull before it came off. His injured eye had been nearly blown out. The entire area around the eye had been burnt, apparently from a laser.  
  
Dr. Robotnik stepped back a few steps. He stared at the injury for a second before folding his arms and speaking. "HA!" he said, mustache bouncing, "The freedom fighter's lives for a healed wound? Of course!"  
  
The fox's mouth fell open. He had expected Robotnik to be much harder to bargain with. He closed his mouth slung his rifle onto his back. He walked up to Robotnik and put his hand out. "Fine, you heal my eye, and I give you the location of Knothole."  
  
"Of course my friend," Robotnik replied, "but tell me, why would you give up the location of the freedom fighters? Surely you have heard of what I have done."  
  
The fox, hand still hanging in the air, thought for a moment. "Well, it is of no concern of mine what others do. Unless, of course, it affects me." He turned to give Robotnik full view of his dead eye, lowered his voice to a whisper, and approached Robotnik. "Besides, they did this to me. And I don't let ANYONE get away with something like that!"  
  
Dr. Robotnik turned started back to his hovercraft. The SWAT-bots turned to follow him but he ordered them off. "No! Escort. uh. what was your name again?"  
  
"My name is of no concern to you." The fox replied, "You need to know nothing about me except what I tell you. Now, lets get on with this."  
  
Robotnik, obviously irritated, quickly climbed into his craft. "SWAT-bots, escort our guest to the roboticizer." He started his hovercraft up and sped towards his command center, leaving the fox and bots behind him.  
  
One SWAT-bot stepped forward, its high-pitched voice sounding, "Follow us." With that, the group of robots clanked back to their craft, the fox close behind.  
  
The group of hovercraft gained altitude and headed back along Robotniks path.  
  
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Robotnik climbed into his swivel chair. The groove in the seat, made by years of sitting there, fit his rear comfortably. He turned and growled at his nephew "Snively! Prepare the roboticizer! Prepare for a full memory scan and download." Robotnik folded his hands in his lap and smiled. "I will have everything he knows, whether he likes it or not."  
  
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The fox stepped into the cold roboticizer room. The room where thousands had fought, cursed, and finally pledge their allegiance to robotnik. It was perhaps the most evil place on the planet.  
  
He looked at the glass tube before him. He walked up to it and ran his hand over it. He was standing just an inch from the spot where Robotnik had enslaved countless numbers of people. Yet, he thought nothing of it. Images of a squirrel firing at him flashed in front of him. He remembered the pain as his eye was suddenly filled with fire. What had he done to them? Nothing. He had just landed and taken his helmet off.  
  
Shaking his head, he turned as a short human entered the room. He was bald save for the few strands of hair spread out over his scalp. When he spoke his voice was high and sounded like it came from the nose instead of the mouth.  
  
"If you would step into the tube when it opens we can begin."  
  
Without warning, the tube suddenly opened, allowing him to step under it. Above him was the machinery that actually performed the operation. Countless wires, chips, and circuits, covered by thick glass, held his view. A second later, the tube slid shut, trapping him in. He doubted that even his sword could pierce the specialized glass surrounding him. He was now at the mercy of the operator of the roboticizer.  
  
Snively turned to the operations console. He adjusted knobs, typed in commands, and after a few minutes, hit the large red button near the edge of the console. The fox suddenly looked up as he heard the machine begin.  
  
A small light seemed to have surrounded him. With each passion second, he could see and FEEL it growing in intensity. A few seconds later he gasped and shot a hand to his eye. Cold metal took place of damaged tissue. For several seconds, a tingling feeling filled his eye. Then, without warning, the pain hit him. A burning fire at the back of his eye. He screamed and put both hands over his eye.  
  
Snively looked up before talking into a microphone. "We are repairing you optic nerve, the pain will subside momentarily. The fox stood as the pain faded a few seconds later. He could still see nothing. He looked around the room for a moment before the next part hit him.  
  
His head suddenly hurt. He could sense the beam penetrate his brain, draining it, weakening him. He fell to his knees and opened his mind to the stored energy of the master emerald. He used everything he had to fight it.  
  
With his eyes closed, he didn't see the sparks flying, nor Snively jumping back as the console exploded in front of him. Snively looked at the roboticizer tube. Inside, two lights covered the fox. The solid white light, coming from the roboticizer, and a strange green light, seeming to cover his entire body.  
  
Snively quickly stood and rushed to the gauges. "Sir! Malfunction in the roboticizer. An unknown energy has disrupted the beam and caused damage to the systems. Power levels are in the red! We must shut it down!"  
  
Robotnik suddenly appeared on an overhead screen. His face was beet red and the arm of his chair had been smashed to pieces. "Snively! Fix it! NOW!" he bellowed.  
  
Snively punched at a few buttons, dodging sparks and exposed wires. "I can't sir! I can't stop it!"  
  
With that, the short human ran for the doors. He literally pried them open with his hands and dashed out of the room.  
  
Inside the tube, the fox was fighting a losing battle. He could no longer feel the beam in his mind. However, he could feel it everywhere else. He was running out of power while the roboticizer was being overcharged. In desperation he reach out for the only power source remaining, a small white stone embedded deep within his suit.  
  
He focused on it, concentrating it, bringing its energy together, and released it in one large burst. The entire room was ablaze with two different white lights. They swirled and mixed together, interchanging positions and moving on. Suddenly, the light seemed to draw inward. In swirled toward the center and flowed around the figure underneath.  
  
The figure suddenly changed. His outline broke up and reappeared several times. Each time was accompanied by a blood-curdling scream. Finally, the roboticizer overloaded and exploded. The light shot inward, penetrating the fox and gathering itself inside him. A bright flash accompanied by an explosion of air followed shortly.  
  
The tube was no longer there. Pieces of its fragments were embedded everywhere. The entire room was destroyed. Strangely, several large pieces of equipment were joined to the walls. No trace of the fox could be seen.  
  
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End Chapter 3 


	5. Chapter 4-One Controller

Darkness Rising  
  
Chapter 4  
  
One Controller  
  
Sonic stepped into the cold dirty street. Behind him Bunnie and Sally hid in the shadow of a junk pile, waiting for him to make his move. He looked left, nothing. Then right, nothing. Both directions held little for Sonic's eyes. After years of running missions in Robotropolis Sonic had gotten used the filth of the city. Here and there a weed grew from a crack in the cement. But that was the only things that grew.  
  
Sonic dashed to the other side of the street. He spindashed a door in and looked around. Around him was what appeared to be a simple living room. Several old pieces of electronic equipment, mainly radio equipment, sat undisturbed in one corner. They were in the old suburbs of the city. He was currently in an old apartment complex. When Robotnik took over he took only what he could use. Most of the electronics that people owned were of no used to him.  
  
Sonic waked to the old wooden door and turned the handle. The door creaked open on its rusted hinges revealing a long hallway. The paint had been worn away by the may chemicals in the air and left bare plaster along the walls. Equally spaced were many doors, each leading into a set of living areas.  
  
Sonic ran down the hall and entered the stairwell. He quickly bounded up the steps to the roof. Upon opening the door, he immediately went into caution mode. He listened intently for any sounds of approaching SWAT-bot patrols.  
  
He crept out onto the roof. He scanned the skies for anything out of the ordinary. Besides the cloud of smog that hung over the once great city, nothing was out of the ordinary. In the distance several hovercraft crossed an intersection and disappeared behind a building. Sonic didn't worry. They were too far away to detect him.  
  
He walked over to the ledge and peered down. Sally and Bunnie could barely be seen near the junk pile. He quickly waved for them to enter the building. Both ran as fast as they could across the street and into the door Sonic had smashed down. Bunnie stopped for a moment to lean the battered door against the frame, masking the room from outside view.  
  
Sonic waited patiently for them to arrive at the roof. He normally had little patience, however, the enormity of the problem seemed to calm him down from his normal upbeat self. He brushed a hand across his emerald belt. An observer would have noticed that Sonic's hands had brushed against nothing, as the belt was invisible to all but the wearer. Seven different color lights lit up as his hand slowly brushed across them.  
  
His movement was too slow to activate the miniature super emeralds embedded in the belt. To activate them he would have to swipe his hand or hands across them quickly. He was ready to do it at a moments notice in case they ran into trouble.  
  
At that moment, Bunnie and Sally opened the door to the roof and stepped over to him. Sally noticed him fidgeting his belt and sighed. "Don't worry Sonic, I'm sure this will succeed."  
  
Sonic looked up and nodded; a worried look on his face. "I know Sal, but I can't keep from thinking the worst things since I heard about the Death Egg."  
  
Sonic's uncle Chuck had warned them of the Death Egg two days before. Since then they had been working round the clock to gather all the information they could about Robotnik's plan.  
  
"Well sugar hog," Bunnie said, giving him a light hug, "Don't you worry. Little old me will protect you in case the big scary ship comes after you."  
  
Sonic looked up and laughed. Bunnie always had a way of cheering him up. Sally also had the effect, when she wanted to, and to a much greater effect.  
  
"Okay," Sally said, pulling out Nichole, "Nichole, display map A-5."  
  
"Affirmative Sally." The hand held computer said. After a few moments of flashing lights, the computer beeped and a holographic map was projected near the ground.  
  
Sally squatted down and pointed at the map. "Sonic, take this route to the power plant. Do exactly as we planned. Once your ready, Signal us and we'll get to the secondary relay station."  
  
"All right Sal. You and Bunnie be careful." He said, stepping back a few steps. "I am up, over, and gone!" With that he took a running leap to the next building. He ran down the fire escape and shot off through the street below toward a large building with smokestacks in the distance.  
  
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Snively walked over to the glass tube encasing Metal Sonic. His modification was nearly complete. For the past eighteen hours Mecha had been in the tube undergoing modification for the pickup. Small robotic arms moved inside the tube through the green liquid, darting in and out of an opening in Mecha's back just above the jet engine. His chest also sported two small doors that had not been their before. A small cavity could was visible as the doors where open.  
  
Snively coughed and rubbed his eyes. He had not gotten any sleep since the incident with the fox and the roboticizer. He had been working on repairing it until Mecha needed his modifications.  
  
When the last arm attached the remaining armor to Mecha and retracted, Snively activated him. Mecha's eyes powered up and cast a red glow upon the green liquid. Snively pushed a few more buttons, draining the tube and retracting the glass upwards.  
  
Metal Sonic stepped out and stood still for a moment, green liquid dripping off of him. "What are my orders?" the robot droned.  
  
Snively sat down in a nearby chair, "You are to proceed to the coordinates in your memory banks and rendezvous with the convoy." Snively battled away unconsciousness and continued. "From there you will install the cargo and return here with all possible speed."  
  
"Affirmative." The robot replied. He then turned and walked out the door. Upon leaving the building, Mecha ignited his engine and flew off towards his destination. Snively jumped up on a solid metal table. He lay back and closed his eyes. "I will rest my eyes a minute before going back to work on the Roboticizer." He told himself. He was asleep the instant his eyes closed.  
  
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Sonic approached the power plant. He skidded to a stop as a patrol rounded the corner ahead of him, going the same direction as he. They had not seen him as they were turned the opposite direction. Sonic ran to a nearby alley and hid.  
  
After a minute or so, he peeked around the corner. The patrol had disappeared and the street was empty. Even so, Sonic wasn't taking any chances. He dashed from shadow to shadow, staying away from the cameras and patrols.  
  
After ten minutes Sonic was fifty yards from the doors to the plant. He could see the fifteen SWAT-bots patrol the perimeter, as well as the normal city patrols fly by. Sonic thought for a moment and decided to take the easer course.  
  
Reaching down, he swept both hands over his emerald belt and flung them behind him. The power caused him to shoot into the air a few inches as it flowed into him. His blue fur and spines immediately went to hot yellow, then began their cycle of the rest of the colors. His color alternated every tenth of a second and small energy balls shot from him and away in different directions.  
  
His power made him show up like a Christmas tree in a pitch-black room. Every SWAT-bot and patrol for two hundred yards immediately converged upon him. They leveled their weapons and one shouted "Priority one hedgehog, kill or capture. FREEZE!"  
  
"No way bucket heads!" Sonic replied, flying at them with incredible speed. They immediately opened fire. Lasers bounced or were absorbed harmlessly by him. He tore through their ranks, destroying ten in the first three seconds.  
  
The locked steel doors proved to be no match for Hyper Sonic. He barreled into them at three hundred and skidded to stop inside. One door shot from its hinges and smashed into a piece of equipment in the middle of the plant. The other door managed to stay on its hinges until it smashed into the wall holding it, effectively destroying the wall and falling to the ground.  
  
The first door apparently hit something vital. Red lights suddenly blazed to life and a warning klaxon began to sound. A large generator in front of him suddenly exploded, sending metal chunks flying everywhere. This in turn caused another generator to explode. It continued until the fuel tanks providing fuel to the generators were hit. The tanks exploded, sending a massive shockwave out. The shockwave ripped through everything save Sonic. His invincibility protected him from being savaged by the wave. However, it did knock him back into the pile of debris caused by the shockwave. When the dust cleared, the plant lie in ruins  
  
Sonic picked himself out from under the wreckage. Being invincible did have its advantages. He had done better than expected. Robotnik could never hope to repair the plant, for it had been destroyed beyond recognition. Sonic smirked and leaped into the air, flying away and circling back to draw as many SWAT-bots to him as possible.  
  
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Blackness was all the fox knew. Alone in his mind he screamed out for something… and found nothing. Without input terrible things happen to the mind. Time seemed to slow. Minutes were hours. Hours were days. Days turned into seasons. Images and memories blended and mixed. Events toppled onto each other. Each one multiplying the impact of the others until his mind seemed to boil and explode with data.  
  
Then, as suddenly as it had happened, it ended. He was torn from one extreme and thrown to the other. Every sense was active. Every smell he had ever smelled invaded his nose at once. His eyes were blinded even though they were closed. His body seemed to be torn apart from the inside, outside, and all around. His ears were tortured with the screams of unknown demons.  
  
Then it ended. He felt himself fly through air and land hard on his back. When he opened his eyes… no, eye. He opened one eye and he gazed upon an overcast sky. The clouds moved quickly through the sky, getting darker every second.  
  
The fox inhaled a deep breath and lifted his arm. Or rather, he tried to lift his arm. It felt like lead weights had been attached to his arm. He tried to move his other arm only to find the same dead weight. His body suddenly quivered with effort as he tried to sit up. All he accomplished was to tire himself out.  
  
The fox was tired. That short amount of effort had been all he could muster. He yawned and closed his eye. He promised himself he wouldn't fall asleep. He would just rest until he could regain his strength. Like many things that had happened to him, this did not go the way he planned. He fell asleep within seconds of closing his eyes.  
  
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself looking up at a face. Panicking, the fox tried to lift a hand to ward off an attack. However, all he could do was shake his body a bit. He couldn't even open his mouth to speak. The face disappeared and he heard a voice.  
  
"Finally awake I see. Don't try to move, you'll just waste your energy." A mid-pitched feminine voice said.  
  
After a few scared moments the fox calmed down enough to look over at the speaker. He managed to turn his head enough to catch a good look at her. He found himself staring at a vixen. She was wearing a pair of black baggy jeans and a dark purple tshirt. Her black hair was tied back in a ponytail. White fur marked her chin and throat, while brown fur marked everywhere else. Her eyes were dark brown that nearly matched his fur. She looked to be no older than sixteen. She was beautiful in his eyes.  
  
She moved the single door in the room and opened it just enough to stick her head through. "Grandma! He's awake!" She said just before closing the door and walking over to his side. "Hey there, my name is Michelle." She said softly, smiling and staring into his eyes. "You just lie still and wait for my grandma. She'll know what to do." She walked out of his view and heard a window close. Before it closed, he heard the sound of rain start outside. The pit-pat of raindrops began to get quicker and louder on the roof.  
  
He heard the door squeak open again. In walked a much older vixen than Michelle. He guessed this was her grandma. Her hair was white with gray strands placed here and there. It hung down to her waist and he wondered how heavy it must have felt.  
  
The old vixen closed the door and walked over to him. She switched a glass from her right hand to her left and placed her right hand around his throat. She felt around for a few moments before speaking. "Well… looks like the medicine I gave you is working." She paused and took a sip of whatever was in the glass before continuing.  
  
"You should have seen yourself when my granddaughter brought you in." She said, gesturing over at Michelle. "Your throat looked like a baseball. I'm surprised you were able to breathe."  
  
The fox opened his mouth and tried to speak. All that came out was hoarse gasp.  
  
"Don't try to talk. Your throat needs to rest. You should be able to talk again with a day or two. Until then you should rest."  
  
"Grandma!" Michelle said suddenly, "What about his armor? I think it's keeping him from moving. He tried to before you came in but couldn't."  
  
"Well then. Let's get this stuff off, shall we?" The old fox said.  
  
In his tired state, the fox could barely move. He concentrated and tried to connect to his suit's computer. Try as he might, he couldn't get anything. That could only mean he was out of power. Although he had regained a certain amount of strength since waking up, he still did not have nearly enough to move with his un-powered armor on.  
  
Without power the only way to get his armor off was to manually take it apart. As the two vixens were neither skilled mechanics nor technicians, they had no hope of removing anything save his gloves, which only needed a few screws loosened and then be pulled off.  
  
After forty minutes of trying they finally gave up. They lay the fox back down on his bed and stood. "Well," Michelle said, "I don't think that worked." A sudden flash of lightning and a loud thunderclap caused her to jump suddenly. She turned and looked at her grandma, hand on her chest. "Wow! That was loud!."  
  
Her grandma walked over to the window and looked out. "That's because it struck a tree near the edge of town." The tree she spoke of was now nothing more than a blazing pile of wood. Luckily the tree was the only thing flammable within twenty feet. The soaked grass easily repelled the flames from the burning tree.  
  
The fox's eyes suddenly opened wide. As he lay there he could feel something powerful deep within him. It burned inside him, making him silently cry out. Suddenly red and orange hazards filled his vision. He felt the familiar vibration of his suits power core activate. He ignored the feeling of bugs crawling on flesh as his self-repair system started its tedious job of healing himself and his suit.  
  
The warning lights winked out quickly as soon as his computer was back up. With power, the suit internal motors easily allowed the fox to move. He sat up quickly and turned to his hosts.  
  
"Where am I?" he said. The two vixens turned and faced him. "You are here in our home, in Pilewood." The older vixen said, approaching him and offering him her hand. He took her hand and used it to help himself stand up from the bed.  
  
"Thank you, but, who are you and what happened to me?" The fox said. "I can't remember." Michelle stepped toward him and spoke. Her voice soothed his ears tortured ears. "Well, we were hoping you could tell us what happened to you." She paused and looked at her grandma. "Yes, Michelle here found you outside our house just before the storm hit. She dragged you in and we put you here in bed Oh, my name is Laura Redfalls. Now, who are you?"  
  
The fox stared at her for a second before looking down at his feet. "I… I don't know. I can't remember."  
  
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Metal Sonic skimmed above the ground at three hundred miles per hour. Rain beat down upon his sleek metal hull. Each seem and crack had been sealed and waterproofed, effectively preventing any water from entering his internal systems.  
  
He followed the trail in front of him past every twist and turn, dodged every tree and bush that grew where it wasn't supposed to. His old combat software had been reinstalled and needed calibrating. This software also included collision and dodge programming.  
  
He passed three more sharp bends in the trail before stopping as fast as his braking system would allow. In front of him was a scene of chaos. Smoldering hulks of robots and vehicles littered the trail. A few SWAT-bots wandered around the perimeter, patrolling for any signs of a long gone threat. Several footprints of great size were still visible in the mud.  
  
Mecha ran to the only remaining operation vehicle in the convoy. The tracked vehicle looked like a tank with no turret. Slits in its thick armor allowed laser rifles to be fired from within. The entire vehicle looked like it had taken a beating. Numerous breaches in the armor were visible. Many smoked from damaged equipment.  
  
The blue robot walked to the rear of the vehicle and typed in a code on a keypad. The back end suddenly folded down, forming a ramp and revealing the interior of the APC. (armored personnel carrier) A small squirrel dressed in a tattered white lab coat walked up and greeted him.  
  
"I assume you are Metal Sonic." Without waiting for an answer the squirrel turned around and motioned for Mecha to follow him. "We lost sixty- three swatbots defending this. I hope it was well worth it."  
  
With that, the squirrel walked up to a small safe. He typed in the code on the pad and opened the safe. He reached in and pulled a small metal box from within. Mecha reached out and grabbed it quickly. He opened the box and stared at the object within.  
  
"Ahh! The eighth chaos emerald! With this Dr. Robotniks plan can finally unfold!" Mecha pulled out the shining jewel and placed it near his chest. The squirrel scientist suddenly leaped at him, eyes glazed over and focused on the emerald. Mecha managed to put and arm out and bat him out of the air.  
  
The scientist landed hard but immediately got to his feet. "Mine! I must have it!" The squirrel yelled as he charged Mecha. Metal Sonic sidestepped his next attack and grabbed him by the neck with one hand. He squeezed and smiled as he felt the familiar pop of neck bones. The scientist immediately went limp.  
  
Mecha flung the squirrel out into the mud and turned back to the emerald. The small doors on his chest popped out to reveal a space just big enough for the emerald. He quickly placed it inside and closed the compartment. Mecha gasped as the power flowed into him. His metal hull gleamed brightly in the darkness of the APC. Several patches from earlier battles suddenly vanished, leaving his body in pristine condition.  
  
Mecha floated out into the rain. He looked up into the sky and raised a hand. Immediately a bolt of lightning shot down from the clouds into the forest several miles away. Metal Sonic looked down at his hands. He waved them around a bit and laughed his mechanical laugh. Suddenly he shot into the air. His glowing form showed for miles around as he exceeded mach 1 back to Robotropolis.  
  
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Hyper Sonic carried Sally and Bunnie out of Robotropolis. They had gotten what they came for. Among with the information about the death egg, the had confirmed that the roboticizer was down. No one knew why.  
  
Just before passing the last scrap pile, Sonic groaned and closed his eyes. His glowing form suddenly phased back to blue and all three crashed to the ground.  
  
Bunnie was the first to get up. She groaned and put a metal hand on her head. "Geez sugahog, could you give us a warning before you go back to normal…" She trailed off when she saw Sonic.  
  
He was laying face down on the ground; his emerald belt flung five feet away close to a scrap heap. Sally picked herself up and immediately went to Sonic. Her recent laser wound had reopened, the bandage quickly becoming pink.  
  
"Sonic! Are you alright!" She exclaimed, turning him over. She gasped and turned to Bunnie. "Bunnie, help me get Sonic, we have to get back to Knothole."  
  
Bunnie scooped sonic up in her arms, noticing the large bump on his head that was quickly turning the color of his spines. Sally retrieved Sonics emerald belt. All seven stones pulsated with color. Each one dimmed and then became bright again. Sally caught up to Bunny and the two made there way out of Robotropolis towards knothole.  
  
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	6. Chapter 5-Power Shift

1 Darkness Rising  
  
Chapter 5  
  
Power Shift  
  
The sun inched its way above the frozen treetops in the Great Forest. Under one of the many trees was a non-descript hut. It looked just like all the other huts in the village. Inside, under the expert care of a very unique raptor, lie Sonic the Hedgehog. He was currently unconscious, with a large bump on his head to tell any onlooker why.  
  
Slasher reached over and checked the pulse on one wrist. It had been good and steady since Sally and Bunnie had gotten him back to Knothole. His breathing was good and deep. The few scrapes he had sustain after a nasty fall at forty miles per hour had not developed any infections, although Sonic now sported several large bandages. Aside from the concussion Sonic had sustained, he had faired better than both Sally and Bunnie. Sally's earlier laser wound had opened up and bled quite severely. She had also gotten several large cuts on her arms and legs from the fall. Bunnie had broken a critical part in one of her knee joints just before reaching Knothole. Rotor was still working on replacing the part that very moment.  
  
Slasher sighed and sat down on the floor of the hut. Her blood-shot eyes revealed signs of sleep deprivation to anyone who looked at her. She had spent the entire night attending the wounds of Sonic and Sally. After that, she and Sally had to re-plan their raids. With their main weapon gone, especially at this critical moment, both Slasher and Sally were hard pressed to find some way of replacing Sonic, unless he woke up soon.  
  
Slasher glared out the window into the rising sun. Her bleary eyes blurred over and she lowered her head to rub her eyes. When she raised her head and looked back at Sonic her breath was taken away. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, or maybe the way the light hit the room, but Slasher momentarily saw a figure looming over Sonic. Its presence seemed to calm and slightly rejuvenate her. She blinked and the figure disappeared.  
  
She rose to check Sonic again. When she touched his arm he rolled over and mumbled something she couldn't understand. The velociraptor smiled and lay down on the floor. Sonic was merely asleep now. She closed her eyes and thanked her maker for the help Sonic had received. He would awaken in a few hours.  
  
When Sally walked into the hut to check on Sonic an hour later, she found both of them asleep and snoring softly. Smiling softly, she leaned over and gave Sonic a light kiss on the cheek. She then pulled a blanket from one of Sonic's closets and pulled it over the sleeping Slasher. Just before shutting the door, she heard a soft "Thanks Sally". She paused for a moment before shutting the door, "Anytime" she replied. With that, she closed the door and walked out into the ice and snow.  
  
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Fear overwhelmed him. Images and thoughts he couldn't remember invaded his dreams. Beasts made of his own memories lunged at him. He reached for his sword, only to find nothing there. He tried to fend them off but couldn't. He watched one demon lunge at him, teeth bared and eyes ablaze with fire. Suddenly, fire overcame the beast. He looked around, watching, looking for any sign of another beast. What he saw scared him even more. Everywhere, all around, fire licked up at him. He lifted a hand to shield himself only to watch it burn. Fur and flesh were ablaze, but he felt no pain. He looked up to see a demon of fire leap at him. He raised his arms and slashed at the demon with his claws, but to no avail. The demon consumed him, burning him. He cried out, again and again, each time the cry echoed throughout his mind.  
  
"Nooooo!" The cry pierced the early morning darkness of the room as the fox suddenly sat upright in his bed. His fur and sheets where drenched in sweat and his eyes where staring straight ahead. His breathing came in quick shallow breaths.  
  
The door flew open and a vixen clad in cotton pajamas ran in. "What is it!" she cried. Upon seeing the fox rocking back and forth in his bed muttering to himself she quickly made her way over to him.  
  
She sat down beside him and put her arms around him. "Shhh, it was just a bad dream. It was all a dream."  
  
The fox looked into her eyes. At that moment she could see fear itself, consuming him from within. She pulled him close and hugged him tightly, feeling him grip her tightly with his arms.  
  
"Shhh, don't worry. I'm here now. It was all a dream." She said softly into his ear, calming him down slightly.  
  
She sat there for several minutes, whispering in his ear. At last she felt him relax, his hands unclenching and his grip around her loosen. Another few minutes and he was asleep in her arms. She smiled and leaned him back down in the bed, pulling the covers over him. After making sure he was soundly asleep, she left and made her way back to her own room.  
  
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Morning in Robotropolis started just like every other day. The SWAT- bot patrols were switched, allowing those who had been out on patrol for the night to repair and "freshen up".  
  
Snively stood at a computer console, staring into the monitor just beyond it. Metal Sonic had arrived very early that morning with the 8th chaos emerald. Claiming that even the sight of the emerald would turn any living being mad, Mecha had immediately denied Snively the sight of it.  
  
Snively simply went back to his day-to-day duties, all the while waiting for the all-to-loud voice of his master to cal him through the comm. He was currently modifying the access code to prevent future break ins to the computer system. The system had been tampered with the day before, or so the files read. He had just finished when Robotnik's voice called over the radio.  
  
"Snively! Get up here now!"  
  
Sighing, he saved his work and turned off the console. "I need a vacation." He said just before walking out the door into the corridor just beyond. A few minutes later he walked into the command center of Robotropolis, a heavily armored building with countless SWAT-bots inside and out. Another two minutes later he opened the door to Robotniks command room. Seated in the very center of the room, in a large swivel chair, sat the evil overlord himself.  
  
"Snively! Its about time! Now, summon Metal Sonic." Robotnik yelled. His large mustache flopped up and down each time his head moved in any direction. With a few muttered curses too low for his uncle to hear, Snively walked over to a nearby console and donned a headset.  
  
"Metal Sonic, Robotnik requests your presence at the command center immediately." Snively said. The reply came a few seconds later.  
  
"Affirmative. Estimated time till arrival, thirty seconds." Mecha droned. A few seconds later he added "Tell the doctor to prepare the roboticization chamber for use." An evil laugh finished the reply just before the radio was cut off.  
  
Unknown to Snively at the time, Metal Sonic was currently on his way back to Robotropolis after raiding a nearby town for victims. He currently carried two adult mice in his arms, unconscious of course, and not without injuries.  
  
His glowing form traveled at supersonic speed back toward Robotropolis. True to his word, thirty seconds later he arrived inside the command center. Robotnik swiveled around to face him as he entered.  
  
"You said something about victims?" Robotnik asked.  
  
Metal Sonic, body still glowing, held up the two mice in answer.  
  
"Good. Now, take them to the Roboticizer!"  
  
Snively cleared his throat and turned to face them. He glanced down at his feet before speaking. "Uhh, Dr. Robotnik, as you may remember, the robiticizer was nearly destroyed several days ago. I do not currently have the necessary parts to repair it." Snively ducked in anticipation for a blow. After a few seconds he opened his eyes and glanced up at his master.  
  
Robotnik had not moved in his chair. He turned after a moment and spoke to Mecha. "Mecha, take them to the holding cells. And make sure they survive. Your prisoners have a tendency to die before they are roboticized. Report immediately back here once you are done. My master plan is ready now that you have the 8th emerald."  
  
"Yes master." Mecha replied. He turned and marched out of the door towards the holding cells.  
  
Robotnik turned back to Snively. "Snively, go prepare my hovercraft for launch. Add the modifications you designed onto it. Not even the hedgehog will stop me now!" Robotniks evil laugh could be heard by the SWAT- bots outside the command center.  
  
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It was just past two in the afternoon when Sonic awoke. His head pounded and he lay still for several seconds while he found his bearings. A few seconds later he realized he was in his hut, laying in his own bed, with a very large shape sleeping on his floor.  
  
Sonic sat up and put a hand on his head as the pain suddenly sharpened. After several moments the pain subsided enough for him remove his hand and look around. It was early afternoon and Slasher was asleep at the side of his bed. He glanced out the window into the peaceful afternoon. The sun was shining brightly and there wasn't a cloud in sight, unusual for the middle of winter.  
  
The peacefulness of the moment was broken when the door was shoved aside and a panicked voice yelled, "Slasher! Get up now!"  
  
Slasher, deep in a dream at the moment, suddenly jerked awake. She jumped up and looked at the person in the door. Sally stood in the middle of the door, her figure outlined against the bright light outside. She rushed over to Slasher and helped her up, all the while yelling, "Come on! Serena's in trouble!"  
  
A cool draft from the open door hit Sonic as he watched the two leave his hut. "Serena in trouble?" he asked himself. "I've got to go help!" Sonic jumped out of his bed. He landed on the floor and rolled into a ball, hands over his head. The pain was terrible. Sonic had rarely felt so much pain. He lay there for several minutes while the pain subsided. When it finally did, he slowly crawled to his feet. When the pain didn't return he grew more confident and took a few tender steps forward.  
  
Satisfied that if he moved slowly the pain wouldn't come back, Sonic made his way out the door and towards the main hut. Upon arriving, he found Sally, Slasher, Bunnie, and Rotor talking around a map of Robotropolis. Quietly walking in, Sonic made his way over to the group. No one noticed him as he approached.  
  
"Serena is being held here." He overheard Sally say, as she pointed at a building on the map. "Now, Bunnie, you and Rotor will enter the SWAT- bot patrol station here." Sally said, pointing at another smaller building just beside the previous one.  
  
Bunnie spoke up saying, "But what about those SWAT-bots guarding the place Sally girl, aint no way me and Rotor here can take em out."  
  
Sally turned and looked at Slasher. "That's what we have Slasher for. She will provide a distraction and draw the bots away from the patrol station."  
  
Sonic reached the edge of the group and spoke up. "Sal, how did Serena get captured in the first place?"  
  
The entire group turned and looked at him as one. For a moment no one said anything. Then Bunnie yelled, "Suga hog! How are ya feelin Sonic!"  
  
After a minute or so of greetings, the group continued on with their planning. Sally started off by answering Sonic's question.  
  
"I sent Serena off on a mission to deliver a message to Chuck." At the mention of his roboticized uncle, Sonic looked down and tried to keep tears from welling up in his eyes. Every time he thought about his uncle, it reminded him of the horrible things Robotnik had done to the population of Mobotropolis and the surrounding area.  
  
He succeeded in keeping tears away and looked back up. After only a moments hesitation, Sally continued. "She delivered the message and was on her way back when Nichole lost contact with her communicator. After searching through the data banks of the holding cells, I found out they had captured her and put her in holding cell 13-b."  
  
Sonic butted in when Sally stopped paused. "But Sal, in know Rena, she wouldn't get captured by anything Robotnik normally has." He stopped and his eyes widened. "The only thing that could catch her…would be Metal Sonic."  
  
The group was silent for several seconds. Sonic gulped. The only thing Robotnik currently had that actually frightened Sonic was his robot counterpart. If anyone, or anything, was worse than Robotnik, it was Metal Sonic. At least the Doctor didn't go on a killing spree whenever he wanted to, or when something went wrong.  
  
"Sally, im going to go get her." Sonic said, his face twisting into an angry expression.  
  
"Sonic, do you have any idea what happened to you last night?" Sally replied.  
  
Sonic waved his hands to cut her off, "Look, Sal, just give me my emerald belt. Any pain usually goes away when I'm hyper."  
  
Sally was silent for several seconds. Sonic could feel something was wrong. "What?" He asked.  
  
Slasher reached around her neck and unfastened his emerald belt, which until then had remained invisible around her neck.  
  
Sonic took it and was about to put it on when Slasher stopped him. "Sonic, look at the stones."  
  
Sonic glanced down at the miniature super emeralds imbedded in the belt. Each one was the same gray color. None of them had their glowing colorful forms they usually had.  
  
Sonic was horrified. "What happened to them?!" He yelled.  
  
"We don't know Sonic, but they stopped working last night when we were coming out of Robotropolis." Sally said to him. "All three of us were injured, you being the worst with a concussion."  
  
Sonic clenched his hands, his anger nearly taking control over him. "First my sister gets captured, and now the super emeralds don't work. The day couldn't get any worse." Sonic said. "I'm going Sal, whether you like it or not."  
  
Sally was speechless. Never before had Sonic ever acted like this. She was silent for more than several tense seconds. Finally she spoke up. "Alright Sonic, you can go. Just be careful."  
  
The group spent the next fifteen minutes revising their plan before heading out to Robotropolis to rescuer Serena, unaware of the danger ahead.  
  
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The fox stood under the stream of hot water. He felt it run through his fur and down his entire body, finally hitting the tub and going down the drain. The fox had not taken a shower in a very long time. For so long he was on the run, always searching for something. He didn't know what he was searching for, but the feeling was stronger than ever here.  
  
He finished the shower and stepped out. After drying off, he donned a pair of old jeans Michelle had given him. She said they were once her fathers. He walked over to the bed and picked up torso part of his armor. It weighed only forty pounds, even though the armor was at least an inch thick in most places. The outside had been cleaned and any holes or damage had been repaired by highly advanced nanites that lived inside his suit. Those same nanites were responsible for keeping him health and repairing any injuries that he sustained. His sword was in its sheath with his rifle lying across it, still powered up.  
  
A knock on the door interrupted his train of thought. "Come in." He said. The door opened and Michelle walked in. Her black hair hung down to her shoulders without anything to hold it back. He watched it swing back and forth as she walked in. He had only known Michelle since the night before, but he already liked her a lot. She was sweet, pretty, and had probably saved his life.  
  
She walked over to where he was standing and holding his armor. "How are you feeling?" She asked.  
  
He was feeling much better now that he had taken a shower. "Better." He replied, smiling and putting his suit back down on the bed. "I still can't remember what I ate for lunch two days ago though." He said, laughing slightly.  
  
"Well, umm," she stuttered, "my grandma wanted you to know lunch will be ready in a few minutes." She paused for a second, staring at his scarred hand for a second, "As soon as your dressed you can come down and eat."  
  
"Thanks, I'm starving." He replied, crossing his hands to cover up the scars.  
  
Several awkward moments passed before the fox spoke up again. "Umm, thx, for last night. It was…scary…" He said, lowering his eyes and staring at the floorboards.  
  
A soft smile formed on Michelle's face, she looked down, then back up at him. "Your welcome. I know how real nightmares can be. And how scary."  
  
The fox looked back up at her smiling face, he felt like he was in heaven. "Thanks again…" Another few moments of awkwardness passed before either spoke up again. "Ill be down for lunch in a few minutes." The fox said, picking up a boot. "Just let me finish with my suit here."  
  
"Ok." Michelle said, stepping back and turning towards the door. She opened the door and walked out into the hall, leaning against the wall after the door closed.  
  
"What's wrong with me?" She thought, "I barely even know him. He doesn't even know who he is!"  
  
After a minute of mentally banging her head against a brick wall, she walked down the hall and into the kitchen, where her grandma stood cutting vegetables, an apron over her purple blouse and a small smirk on her face.  
  
"What?" Michelle asked.  
  
Her grandma stopped cutting and put the knife down. "I know what your feeling Michelle. I can see it in you every time you talk to him."  
  
Michelle, not able to lie to her grandma, simply stood there silently.  
  
"See. I knew it."  
  
A knock at the door saved Michelle from further embarrassment. "I'll get it." She quickly said, practically running to the door.  
  
When the door opened she saw an elderly rabbit standing at the doorstep. His suit was crisp and clean, with polished shoes and even more polished front teeth.  
  
"Why hello Michelle!" The rabbit spoke, almost yelling with enthusiasm.  
  
"Hello Mr. Whitefur. Would you like to see my grandma?" Michelle asked.  
  
"Why yes I would. I need to speak with her."  
  
"Ok sir. Please come. She will be right with you, she's cooking stew at the moment." Michelle opened the door and let the elderly rabbit inside.  
  
"Thank you dear. Mmm. Smells delicious." The rabbit said, stepping through the door and sitting in a nearby chair.  
  
Michelle walked back to the kitchen. Her grandma stood behind the stove, sipping a little stew out of a wooden spoon.  
  
"Grandma, Mr. Whitefur is here for you. He says he needs to speak with you. He's in the front room right now."  
  
"Thank you Michelle." She said, taking another sip. "Put two pinches of salt and one of pepper in this if you would."  
  
Michelle did as her grandma requested, along with a few "extra" spices she had come to like. From her place in the kitchen she overheard the conversation in the front.  
  
"Afternoon Laura! How are you this fine day?"  
  
"I'm fine Victor. I was just cooking lunch for Michelle and I."  
  
"Well, I just ate a big lunch and can't eat anything else. I just wanted to stop buy to ask you a few questions."  
  
Michelle's face contorted into confusion. "Questions?" she thought. "What sort of questions could the mayor of Pilewood want to ask my grandmother?"  
  
Back in the front, the conversation continued. "Oh, about what Victor."  
  
Victor Whitefur cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. He looked around a moment before answering.  
  
"Well, I've heard rumors about a robot coming into town last night during the storm. You wouldn't know anything about a robot, would you Laura?"  
  
Michelle's heart leaped to her throat. They had hoped to keep the fox a secret until he could remember who he was. Or at least until they could get a hold of the nearest freedom fighter group. They would know what to do with an armored fox carrying weaponry only Robotnik was capable of making.  
  
Her grandma continued in the next room. "No Victor, I can't say I know of any robot." She didn't lie.  
  
The rabbit shifted again and leaned closer, knowing Laura well. "You're…sure…you don't know anything about a robot?"  
  
Laura folded her arms across her chest and glared at the rabbit before her. "Victor! Would I lie to you? Now I' serious, I don't know anything about a robot."  
  
After several seconds the aging rabbit seemed convinced. "All right Laura, if you see or hear anything suspicious tell me as soon as possible."  
  
"I will Victor, now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to my stew."  
  
Victor stood walked to the door. "All right, I know how to take a hint. Until tomorrow Laura." He said, opening the door and walking out.  
  
When the door closed the elderly fox relaxed and sighed. She hadn't known anyone had seen Michelle bring the mysterious fox in. Slightly troubled, she made her way back into the kitchen and back to lunch.  
  
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Sonic dodged left as a laser bolt sliced the air three inches from him. His head was pounding and his reflexes were twice as slow as normal. Their rescue plan had succeeded, however, Metal Sonic was now on their tail. Sonic had stayed behind to distract him until the rest of the freedom fighters could get away.  
  
He was currently running for his life down a ruined alley. At lest thirty SWAT-bots were on his tail, followed closely by Mecha. Sonic reached a split in the alley and swerved right, barely dodging another laser bolt from the dark gray robots following him.  
  
He turned left again and blasted down a series of alleys and streets, temporarily evading the patrolling bots. Sonic leaned against the wall of a burnt out factory, evidence to a previous raid of theirs. He pressed his hands to his head and tried to forget about the marching band in his head. After several minutes, the pain subsided to tolerable levels and Sonic took off again.  
  
He shot out into the middle of a street only to find himself surrounded by a patrol of SWAT-bots. A very familiar robotic voice sounded from behind several guards. "Well, Ssss…Ssss… my adversary, it looks like you lost." Metal Sonic stepped forward as several guards moved aside to make him a path. He paused just inside the ring of bots and spoke again. "Give up now and I "may" spare your life. For a little while at least…" He spat.  
  
Sonic grinned and crouched. "No way. I'm outta here Mecha!" He yelled, suddenly revving into a spindash and shooting towards the blue robot like a buzzsaw. A bright flash was all Sonic saw before he smashed into what felt like a brick wall. Sonic crashed backwards into the ground, almost unconscious from the impact. He simply groaned a little and went limp.  
  
Mecha, glowing a bright blue, walked forward and picked up the limp hedgehog by one arm. "Robotnik will be pleased when I bring you in for roboticization… As if I cared what Robotnik wants!" He said to Sonic, bringing his arm back in preparation for a devastating blow.  
  
Not prepared for any resistance, Metal Sonic's head snapped around from a sudden blow and he dropped Sonic to the ground and stepped back a few steps. Sonic opened his eyes to see the glowing form of Knuckles yelling into his face. "Sonic! Get up!"  
  
Knowing he was in danger, Sonic used all of his might to pick himself off the ground, with Knuckles help of course. He got up just in time to see Mecha regain his senses. Knuckles saw this too and immediately shoved Sonic behind him. Sonic barely noticed a green sword strike Mecha in the head again.  
  
As Mecha once again fell back, Knuckles grabbed Sonic by the arm and shot off down a side alley, leading Sonic down many twist and turns before stopping near another indistinct building in Robotropolis.  
  
Sonic leaned on Knuckles for support, struggling to catch his breath and stop his head from spinning. "Knux…Thanks for…the save..." He said in between breaths. Knuckles picked Sonic up off him and said to him, "Sonic, I know you're tired, but we have to get to Knothole as soon as possible. Now come on."  
  
Sonic let out a ragged breath and dropped his head. After several seconds he managed a reply. "Ok Knux. Ill do my best."  
  
With that, the two shot off in the fastest direction out of the dark city and towards Knothole. Soon after passing the scrap piles and reaching the plains, Knuckles saw Sonic falter out of the corner of his eye. After the third time, he reached over and grabbed Sonic's arm, pulling him along as he shot forward even faster. It was one of the hardest runs Sonic had ever made. His lungs ached, his legs burned, and the pain in his head caused the ground to spin.  
  
Finally, after what seemed a lifetime to Sonic, Knuckles slowed and they passed over the stream next to Knothole. Knuckles had to keep Sonic from overshooting the village when he tried to stop. Sonic fell down in a heap next to Knuckles the instant they stopped. Knuckles took a small green stone from a pouch at his waist and passed a hand over it. His glowing form suddenly de-charged and he was left with his normal red fur and dreadlocks.  
  
Serena exited a nearby hut and stopped cold. "Sonic!" She exclaimed, "What happened to him Knuckles?" She ran over to where they were standing and crouched down beside Sonic.  
  
Knuckles put the green stone back in his pouch and turned to face her. "Ill tell you in a minute, now go get Sally and the rest of the gang. I've got something important to say."  
  
Still worried about Sonic, Serena stayed still for a few seconds. A rough "Now!" from Knuckles finally sent her scurrying away towards the end of the village. A few minutes later found the freedom fighters once again huddled together in the main hut.  
  
Sonic had regained enough strength to stand and walk around again, and was now eager to hear what Knuckles had to say. After waiting for the last person, Knuckles cleared his throat and started to talk.  
  
"Sonic, let me see your emerald belt." He said, motioning for Sonic to give it to him. Sonic immediately reached around and unhooked the belt. Knuckles took the belt and picked out the gray stones inset in the belt.  
  
"You wont need these any longer." He said, his voice cracking up near the end.  
  
"What!" Sonic yelled.  
  
Knuckles lowered his head and sighed. When he raised it tears had formed in the echidnas eyes. "The… uhh… the super emeralds have been destroyed." Rage suddenly formed in the guardian's eyes. He threw the belt at a nearby window, breaking the glass and causing more than a few people to take a step back.  
  
"I failed as guardian!" He yelled to no one in particular. He looked at Sonic, tears streaming down his face. "The island is burning! Everything is gone!" He yelled, his voice suddenly failing him. He fell to the floor, shaking with grief and anger.  
  
Slasher moved to him and picked him up in her strong arms. "Shh. It will be okay." She said soothingly.  
  
"How will it be okay!?" Knuckles said, his face buried in her chest. "I have no home! I have no purpose anymore!" He yelled.  
  
"Your home is with us now." Slasher said to him. Knuckles did not reply. He simply kept sobbing in her arms.  
  
Slasher walked out of the hut and returned a few minutes later, arms empty. "He is sleeping in my hut." She said to the assembled group. "Sally, I'm going to the Floating Island. Knuckles wanted me to get something and I need to take a look at it myself."  
  
Sally simply nodded her head. No one else said a word. The news of Floating Island's demise had hit most of them hard. What could destroy the super emeralds AND ruin the entire island? Slasher walked out the hut and took off into the later afternoon sky, noticing the dark clouds on the southern horizon.  
  
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END  
  
Chapter 5 


End file.
